Beyond the Red River
by Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: After an intense fight on the job, shinigami Grell Sutcliff loses his memory and finds himself at the home of a wealthy aristocrat. With no memory of who he once was and nowhere else to go, Grell takes up a new identity and becomes a butler, hoping one day to remember. But as he slowly recovers, Grell's past and new life intertwine as he is forced between letting go and holding on.
1. The Loss of Memory

"D-do you think he will live?"

"With wounds like that? I highly doubt it. No human can survive with these cuts all over their chest!"

"But he's breathing, i-isn't he?"

"Just because he is breathing doesn't mean he will make it. And honestly, Christine, stop shaking! If you cannot handle this sight of blood, then you shouldn't be here!"

Voice, never ceasing voices echoing over and over again in my ears. My whole body was in pain, to the point where I could barely feel a thing. Where am I, who are these people that are talking? Why am I hurting like this? I try to open my eyes, but it takes much effort. I tried to see my surroundings, but everything is incredibly blurry and out of focus. From what I could tell, I was in a room, laying on some kind of bed with two women beside me.

"Martha!" one of them exclaimed, her voice high pitch. "H-he's awake!"

"Yes, I can see that," the other woman snapped. "Now, keep your voice down. You're only going to alarm him."

She put her hand over my forehead, and though I couldn't see her clearly, I could tell she was looking down at me.

"It is alright, sir," the woman, Martha, said, her voice gentler than it was before. "You are safe now. We are just tending to your wounds now."

I blinked.

"...What's going on?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "Where am I?"

"Should I get him some water?" the second woman, Christine asked. "Martha, do you think-"

"Christine, get a hold of yourself!"

Martha turned to her.

"Go to the kitchen if you must, but let Daniel, Simon, or Jasper bring it. It is obvious you cannot handle it."

"N-no, I'm alright! And I can handle it! I'll be right back, I promise!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Christine's blurry figure run off. Martha sighed.

"Stupid girl. Sweet, but too naïve."

She then grabbed something from what I guess was a nearby table and started to place it upon my bare chest. It felt cold, me shivering at its touch.

"I hope you can forgive me for tending to you while you were unconscious," Martha said softly. "When our lady found you gravely wounded just outside the manor, she immediately ordered that you were to be taken care of. I don't know what happened to you, but you are lucky to be alive."

"I...thank you," I said, too confused to say anything else. "How long have I've been out?"

"Hard to say, but from what I can tell, these wounds are fresh. We've only just recently found you."

Martha paused.

"Though, I will admit the cuts in your skin are unusual. Must have been a special type of blade, for I haven't seen anything like it."

After putting...whatever it was on my wounds, she then reached over to the table again and picked something up.

"I did all I could to prevent the bleeding and I stitched your wounds up to the best of my abilities," Martha told me. "You also received some head injuries, and I'm afraid all I could do was put a bandage over it and hope for the best."

She looked at me.

"How are you feeling, sir?"

"I...I don't know."

It was hard to answer, as the pain in my body was very distracting and made it very hard to think.

"But thanks for all you have done, I guess."

"You are welcome, sir."

She then picked something up from the table again. I couldn't tell what it was, but I knew it was something red.

"Since you are awake, I assume you will want your spectacles back," Martha said.

She studied them for a moment.

"Strange pair, but then again you look a little strange yourself. Aside from my lady, I've never seen a person with hair as red and as long as yours."

She handed me the spectacles, which I took hesitantly. I studied them for a second, bring them close to my face so I could see the thick red frame and the skull like silver chain that hung from them. They _were_ strange, though I couldn't remember ever wearing them. I put them on, and immediately, my vision cleared up.

It was like a night and day difference, nothing blurry and I could see everything perfectly. I was indeed in a bedroom, the whole room white and mostly empty. I laid on top of a bed, two chairs at the bedside. The chair on my right was empty while the one on my left sat an elderly woman with curly white hair in a maid's uniform. Martha smiled, her faded blue eyes having a wise, experience glow to them.

"I bet that is better for you."

At that moment, another maid with a water glass came rushing into the room. Unlike Martha, she looked incredibly young with long black hair, big brown eyes, and a thin figure.

"Here is the water for our guest," Christine said with heavy breaths of air. "I tried to get here as fast as I could without spilling the water and I-"

She cut herself off as she noticed that I was staring at her. Christine blushed.

"Oh! You must have been waiting for me to return..."

She quickly rushed to my side, offering me the water.

"I-I hope you didn't have to wait too long, sir..."

"...It's fine."

I grabbed the glass and took in large gulps of water, it feeling good down my rough, dry throat. I handed it back to her.

"Thank you."

Christine's eyes widened, nodding her head respectfully as she backed away. Martha rolled her eyes.

"Christine, will you please tell Lady Edna that our guest is awake and doing well. I'm sure she will want to see him."

Christine nodded.

"Yes, Martha!"

She then left the room.

"I apologize for her clumsy, nervous nature, sir," Martha said with a small sigh. "She is new to the manor and has only been here a week. She is going to be the new maid, for I will be retiring soon."

She smiled.

"How rude of me to have yet introduce myself to you. My name is Martha Alcock, maid to Lady Edna Redwood. The girl is Christine Doyle, who, like I mentioned, is in training to be a maid. And what would your name be?"

I smiled slightly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm..."

I cut myself off. I blinked.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't say what my name was. I _couldn't_ remember what it was! My heart beat grew faster. I tried to recall something, _anything_, about myself. My name, who I am, how I came to be injured... Nothing, all a giant black blank.

Black...such a dull color.

The panic I felt must have shown on my face, because Martha gave me a worried look.

"You don't remember, do you?" she asked.

I gave a small nod. Martha sat back in her chair.

"Oh dear...it must be from the head injuries. I'm so sorry, sir."

I looked down at my bare chest, seeing all the bandages that covered it.

"It...isn't your fault. I'm lucky to be alive."

There was a small silence.

"...I'm sure Lady Edna will want to see you as soon as your able," Martha finally said, standing up from her chair. "I shall leave you to dress. Stay in the room until myself or Christine comes in to check on you. Are you comfortable with that?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Martha smiled in reply. She then left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving me all alone.

A feeling of dread fell over me as I let out a heavy sigh. I had no idea what to do, I had no memory beyond waking up in this room and who knows what was going to happen next. This Lady Edna...what would she do with me now that I'm well? Or..._mostly_ well, as I still felt very fragile and that I could bleed out any second. Though, I should probably thank her for bringing me to her home, as I would most likely be dead now if it wasn't for her.

I carefully got myself out of the bed, my head banging with pain and my chest aching as I moved. On the floor, I could see a torn up and bloody brown vest and white shirt thrown together, along with a torn, yet still intact long red coat. I guess they were my clothes. I stood up, though I quickly lost my balance with the high heels I was wearing. I frowned, seeing how ridiculous in height they were. I took them off, finding it easier to stand as I reached down for the coat. I didn't see any other shirts I could use that weren't destroyed, so this coat would have to do.

I slowly put it on, feeling a strange sense of security feeling its fabric against my skin. My heart also began to beat faster for some reason, but I could not understand why. Closing the buttons, it was the best I could do to cover my chest. Seeing a small dresser and mirror, I approached it, curious to see how badly I looked. And..._what_ I looked like, as I couldn't even remember that. I stared at myself, taking in every detail of my face and figure.

I looked terrible, my face extremely pale and bruised up, my long red hair all tangled and wild, and my yellow-green eyes dull from the pain I've been feeling. I had a large bandage across my forehead, parts of the bandage damp and red from where the wounds had been. I sighed, knowing that I've must have looked much worse before Martha fixed me up.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door, it catching me off guard. I tensed up, expecting someone to come in. When no one did, I then realized that they were waiting for me to let them in.

"Uh...come in."

The door knob turned, and a woman stepped in. Only it wasn't Martha or Christine, in fact she didn't even look like a maid.

She was a tall woman, wearing an aristocratic gray and white dress and having an elegant posture to her. She was very beautiful, but what I found myself staring at the most was her hair. Her long, waist length, bright red hair, hair as bright and thick as blood. I didn't know why, but just seeing that bright red color made my heart skip a beat. And it also...had a strange nostalgia to it, hair red like that.

The woman, who must be Lady Edna, studied me with her dark eyes.

"I take it you are feeling better, sir," she said. "I hope your wounds are not too serious."

It took a moment for me to reply.

"I...don't think they are too bad," I finally said, trying to stop myself from staring. "I will recover, I know that much."

Lady Edna smiled.

"Good, I am pleased to hear that. You had me quite worried when I found you. I was afraid that I was going to have a dead body on me."

She stepped closer to me.

"Martha told me that you couldn't remember anything about yourself. Is this true?"

I nodded.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble for you, but I thank you for helping me."

"It is no trouble. You were hurt and something had to be done."

Lady Edna paused for a moment.

"...Since you don't know who you are, I cannot allow you to just leave my manor with nowhere to go, especially in the state you are in. You are free to stay here at least until you have recovered, and perhaps in that time your memory will return."

I hesitated to reply, for I kept having my mind drift on me. This woman...she reminded me _so_ much of someone, and it frustrated me that I couldn't figure out who.

"...And what happens if my memory never returns?" I asked, speaking out before I could think about what I was saying. "What then?"

Lady Edna took a moment before replying.

"...I don't know. Suppose that would be up to you. However, if you are willing, you could always stay and become my butler, as I'm always looking for new servants and Daniel can have the extra help."

A butler...

"...I can accept that. Thank you, Lady Redwood, I believe your maid said your name was."

Lady Edna smiled, though I could see some irritation in her gaze.

"Just call me Lady Edna," she said politely. "I hate over the top formalities, especially with my own servants."

She studied me again.

"But I will have to call you something as well. Is there any name you can remember?"

I was silent, thinking long and hard to see if any name came to mind. And unfortunately, just like everything else, nothing did, only a black, dull, empty void.

"...I'm sorry, I just can't give you any name..."

God, this was frustrating!

"...I see," Lady Edna said. "Then I'll just give you a temporary one until we find out what it is."

She tilted her head, her eyes meeting mine as she thought. I was uncomfortable with the intense look in her eyes, it just made my heart accelerate even more. Oh how pretty she would look if she had a red dress on instead of gray...

"Hmm...how about Sebastian?" Lady Edna finally asked. "Would that be an okay name?"

My eyes widened.

"'Sebastian?' Why 'Sebastian?'"

Lady Edna shrugged her shoulders.

"You just look like a Sebastian to me. Of course, you don't have to use it if you don't like it."

I shook my head.

"No, it's fine., It's just..."

Just what? _Why_ did the name Sebastian bother me so much? I was going to go mad with all these questions that I had few answers for!

I tried to hide my irritation with a smile, as I could see the concern look Lady Edna was giving me.

"...Sebastian will do. I guess I don't like it because I can sense it isn't my real name."

Lady Edna nodded.

"I understand. And let's hope it will return soon."

She made her way to the door.

"I'll have my butler, Daniel come here shortly to bring you some fresh clothes. If you are up to it, he can show you around the manor or get you something to eat. If you wish to see me, I will be at my study or get one of my servants to bring me to you."

She smiled.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Sebastian."

And with that, she left.


	2. The Redwood Manor

It was not too long after Lady Edna left did her butler show himself.

"Sebastian?" he called from the other side of the door. "I've brought you some clothes you can use. May I come in?"

"Yes," I replied as I made a vain attempt to comb the tangles out of my hair with my fingers.

From the reflection of the mirror, I saw the butler step in with a set of clothes. He was a very charming man, with raven black hair and a soft looking face with dark brown eyes that could pierce into anyone's soul. Similar to Lady Edna, he too resembled someone who I should know, yet I could not remember. Though unlike her, I found it very odd how I found myself blushing at the sight of him, another man, who I couldn't help but think was beautiful. Luckily, he did not notice, but for a second, I could see him giving me a queer look.

"I hope these clothes are to your likely, as I'm afraid we have very limited options to give you," the butler said, who I think Lady Edna said his name was Daniel. "Once you feel well enough, Lady Edna said she will bring you into the city of London to get your own clothes."

He gave a friendly smile, which for some reason brought chills down my spine.

"Anyways, let me properly introduce myself. I am Daniel Knight, head butler to Lady Edna Redwood."

He gave a small bow. I turned to face him, forcing myself to smile.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm...well, for the moment, Sebastian."

"Ah yes, your memory loss that our lady spoke about," Daniel said, sounding sympathetic. "I'm truly sorry for you."

"...I'm fine, really. And it could be a lot worse. I could have been found by a gang of thugs or something horrendous like that."

Daniel gave a small laugh.

"Indeed. That would be the worst of fates..."

He cleared his throat.

"Now, do you feel well enough for a tour of the manor or do you prefer to rest?"

"To be honest, I would do anything to get out of this room for a while," I answered.

And it was true, as this blank room was making me feel a little stir crazy. More importantly, I wanted to keep myself distracted and not think about the giant hole in my memory.

Daniel nodded.

"If that is what you want. I'll just wait outside the room so you can...change."

Again, he gave me a weird look. Pretending I didn't see it, I agreed and he stepped out of the room. The clothes Daniel gave me were a simple white shirt, black pants, a belt, black socks and shoes. It was obvious they were part of his black, _dull_ butler uniform, but I told myself I shouldn't complain. After all, it was better then having no clean clothes at all.

When I was fully dressed, I was about to leave the room when I suddenly stopped myself. I turned back and looked down at my red coat that I causally laid on the floor. I stared at it, as it felt wrong to not be wearing it.

...What was this? Am I _really_ attached to a stupid red, bloodied coat? I sighed, letting my instincts get the better of me and putting it back on. When I stepped out of the room, Daniel was waiting for me. And he looked surprised that I was still wearing the red coat.

"...Are you really that chilled, Sebastian?" he asked, clearly trying to keep the politeness in his voice.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Look, I don't understand it myself, but this coat means something to me and a part of me can't bear to part with it."

I crossed my arms and turned away from him, feeling embarrassed.

"I...I did not mean to offend you," Daniel finally replied after a small silence. "It is just...it looks like a _woman's_ coat and your..."

He cleared his throat to change the subject.

"So, shall we get started on the tour?"

He began to go down the hallway. I followed closely, taking in every detail of the manor as we went along.

"The Redwood Manor is comprised of three floors," Daniel explained as we walked. "Right now, we are on the second floor which is the living quarters for Lady Edna, the head of the manor, and any guests. You were in one of the many luxurious guest rooms that our lady's manor has to offer. They each..."

He then began to go into large, and I do mean _large_, amount of detail about the quality of each of the bedrooms' furniture and the interior design of them. While the man had a _very_ nice voice to listen to, I did not find it hard to space out when he became long-winded like this.

"Of course, all of these fine guest rooms are on one wing of the manor," Daniel was saying when I started paying attention again. "So it should make it easier on you when trying to find your room again on the west wing."

"Uh...okay," I replied. "So, you said Lady Edna sleeps on this floor as well?"

Daniel nodded.

"She does. Her chamber is on the far edge of the east wing. Obviously, us and any of the other male servants are not allowed there. Besides her private chambers, our lady's study is there as well."

"Ah, I see..."

We then reached the end of the hallway, where a grand staircase laid connecting the other two floors and leading across to the east wing.

"So, can you tell me a little more about Lady Edna?" I asked. "From what I've seen, she seems to be quite wealthy."

Daniel chuckled softly.

"Yes, she is. She is connected to a large number of trading businesses throughout Great Britain. She is a brilliant woman, always able to get herself into good deals with the right people and knows how to present herself."

His face suddenly changed from an admiring look to a tired one.

"However, she may just be _too_ brilliant for her own good..."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?"

Daniel sighed.

"Might as well inform you, as you will be staying with us for a time."

He paused for a moment.

"You see, Sebastian, Lady Edna is...fairly different then most aristocrats. She is overly stubborn, wild, and is no way the lady she present herself in public. And while investing herself in large deals and businesses, there are times were she is...known for making small disappearances every few months. But despite it, she is also clever enough to play off any attempts accusing her of being mad or ill fit of her class, leaving her reputation to not yet be damaged."

He sighed, meeting my gaze.

"Being in the same house as her, you will soon begin to notice Lady Edna's odd behavior. So I hope that telling you in advance will not alarm you."

I gave a small smile.

"Don't worry, I'm fine with it. In fact...something tells me that I've seen stranger things then whatever Lady Edna can come up with."

Daniel gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"I believe you."

He clasped his hands together and smiled.

"Now, enough about our dear lady. Let us continue the tour with-"

"_Simon you bloody idiot!_"

A furious scream echoed throughout the manor. I gave a confused stare while all the color from Daniel's face drained.

"Oh lord...don't tell me."

He quickly made his way down the stairs.

"I apologize for the interruption," Daniel said. "But I must attend to this. Go find Christine if you want to finish your tour properly."

Once on the first floor, he ran off towards the west hallway. Curious, I followed him, for what could have happened to cause a man to shout like that?

The further down the hall I went, the shouting grew louder and louder, and Daniel made a sharp turn to the right to a room. I stopped at the doorway, my eyes widening to see a disaster of a kitchen.

It was utterly filthy, the floor covered with dirt, flour, and other powdery ingredients that I couldn't identify while pots, pans, and other kitchen supplies littered the counters, stove, and sink. Inside, there were two men, one a cook with untidy brown hair standing calmly while drying a spoon, the other a gardener with well kept dirty blonde hair glaring at him, shaking uncontrollably. Daniel quickly approached them, as they looked like they could get into a fight at any moment.

"Simon, Jasper, what is going on here?" he questioned, his voice firm. "And Jasper, I could hear you scream from the other side of the manor! Explain yourself."

"Isn't it obvious?!" Jasper exclaimed, his wild green eyes moving all over the place. "Just _look_ at this kitchen! It is _absolutely_ filthy, and if you think I am about to work with a room _this_ out of order, you've got another thing coming!"

"How would it effect you?" Simon questioned, his gray eyes showing no concern for the matter. "You work outside and only come in when it's night or for meals."

"And yet to prevent myself from getting overheated or get a source of water is from the kitchen, which means I will have to go inside _this_ pigsty!"

Simon rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. I can clean up shortly."

"_You couldn't clean anything even if your life depended on it_! That is why you are _not_ the butler!"

"Is there a particular reason why you are yelling at me? I'm standing right in front of you."

Daniel sighed heavily.

"Gentlemen..._please_. We have a guest in the manor and the last thing I want to happen is for him to stumble in and see..._this_."

Simon glanced over to the doorway to see me standing there, completely bewildered at the scene I was witnessing.

"Oh, you mean that redhead fellow over there?"

He pointed towards me. Jasper and Daniel turned to my direction as well, in which the butler groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"Sebastian..."

Jasper's eyes widened.

"What..._what_ is the meaning of this?!"

Before I could really respond, the overly emotional gardener ran up to me and took a hold of my hair. He gasped.

"How can any man have _such_ uncared for hair?!" he cried, feeling it with the tips of his fingers. "Not only is it unnatural for a man to have such long hair, but to have it _this_ messy?"

He glared at me.

"You, sir, _disgust_ me with such horrible presentation! If I am going to stay in the same house, you must do something about it!"

I stared down at him. _What_ was with this guy?

"_Jasper_..."

Daniel stormed up to us and pulled Jasper away from me. He looked up at me and smiled, though his mouth twitched as he laughed uneasily.

"I'm sorry you had to see that... As you can see...our cook and gardener do not get along so well."

He turned to them.

"Our cook is Simon Pattison, and he is...a bit unorganized, to the say the least. The other is Jasper Forrester, he keeps our grounds in perfect condition as is-"

"_Of course_ it is in perfect condition!" Jasper shouted, cutting Daniel off. "If it wasn't for me, Lady Edna would be lost in a filthy manor with a garden and yard that would seem to be a jungle!"

I could feel my ears ring with his loud, _loud_ voice. I didn't know whether to feel extremely irritated by it or be amazed on how a man could be such an emotional train wreck.

"Well, it is nice to meet you," Simon said, offering me his hand. "I hope you enjoy your stay here at the manor and that you fully recover from those injuries of yours."

I smiled back, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Thank you. You may call me Sebastian."

Simon nodded in reply. Jasper crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Yes, likewise..."

Making a swift movement to my side, he took a hold of my hair again, much to Daniel's dismay.

"Say, Sebastian...would you mind if I cut your hair for you?" Jasper asked. "I'm sure this _thing_ weighs a ton and will make you look ten times neater!"

"Here we go again..."

Simon rolled his eyes. Daniel glared at Jasper.

"No, absolutely not! Sebastian is our guest, and we are not in the right to come up to him and demand that he-"

"Daniel, it's fine," I said before _more_ yelling and arguing could presume. "I actually wouldn't mind if my hair was cut a bit."

Everyone turned their gaze on me.

"Sebastian, I can understand if you want to make Jasper quiet," Daniel said gently. "But really, you don't have to."

"No, no. I'm doing this under my own free will."

I took a hold of the ends of my hair, studying it.

"Besides, I agree with him that it looks awful right now. The best thing I can do for it is to cut it just a tad."

A giant grin slithered away onto Jasper's face.

"_Yes_! Yes it would!"

Taking a firm hold of my wrist, he dragged me out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

"H-hey, where are you taking me?" I demanded, dragging my feet a little. "Hey, are you even listing to me?!"

"I'm taking you to my room so I can begin cutting it," Jasper answered, sounding like he had a million things going through his mind at once. "With hair as thick and long as yours, it is going to be awhile, most likely hours, and I want to make sure I cut it to perfect length, form, and other details!"

I felt my eyes grow wide and my heart stop. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?


	3. Becoming the New Butler

By the time Jasper was done cutting my hair, and after making sure _every_ end was perfectly even and was in a 'presentable' state, I could see the sun start the set from a nearby window. As soon as I was release, I fled out of Jasper's bedroom, as he obsessively and freakishly started to clean up the mess by taking out a broom from his closet and sweeping the floor. I've only known the man for a few hours and I've already developed concerns for his mental state.

Once outside the room, I took a hold of small strands of hair and felt it between my fingers. Though I _did_ want my hair cut, a part of me still wanted it to possess the flare and flow it had while long, even if its length was ridiculous. Jasper disapproved greatly, saying that it was disgusting for a man to have long hair, but I was able to convince him to allow it to go a little passed my shoulders. I smiled, enjoying the fact that I didn't look like someone who just came out of the jungle.

"There you are, sir!"

Looking up ahead, I saw Christine running towards me.

"There you are, Mr. Sebastian!" Christine exclaimed, panting heavily like she had ran a marathon. "I've been looking all over for you! When I saw that you weren't in your room resting, I began to panic thinking you have gone somewhere and I-"

She cut herself off as she noticed my hair. I smiled.

"Sorry if I worried you," I said. "Daniel was giving me a tour of the manor and when I met your gardener..."

I gave a slight awkward laugh.

"Well, long story short, Jasper gave me a haircut, one that I desperately needed. Do you like it?"

Christine nodded.

"It does look nicer than before," she replied softly. "Though I hope Jasper wasn't too harsh on you."

She nervously started to rub her arm, an embarrassed look in her eyes.

"He may be a little...strange, but he is very talented. It is a little late now, but if you ever decide to go to the garden, he does a fantastic job trimming the shrubs and arranging the flowers."

"With how well organized his room was, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a genius when it comes to arranging things."

"Yes...I think he is..."

There was an awkward silence, Christine's shyness obviously getting the better of her.

Out of everyone I've met today, she seemed to be the closest thing to normal. Martha, while she was polite, seemed also overly strict. Daniel was overly talkative, Simon seemed too laid back for his own good, Jasper was just...crazy, and Lady Edna I knew almost nothing about. I liked this girl, and perhaps before I leave I could give her a confidence boost. That is..._if_ I decided to leave, or could leave.

Christine's eyes widened.

"Oh, before I forget! The reason I was trying to find you is because Lady Edna wishes to dine with you tonight."

She began to stutter as my smile faded.

"U-unless of course you don't want to! I'm sure my lady will understand if you wanted to rest some more, or did not feel well or something..."

Again, she started to rub her arm.

"No, I'm perfectly fine with it," I quickly said. "Just didn't expect it, that's all."

I walked passed her.

"Actually, I would prefer it. After all, she was the one who originally found me half dead and I have yet to thank her properly."

That, and the fact I would like to get to know her better, to find out why and who she reminded me so much of. I couldn't explain it, then again half of _everything_ I've felt I couldn't explain, but I sensed that if I was to regain my memory, she would be the key into doing so. However, her being the head of this manor, and from what Daniel told me earlier, it may not be that easy of a task. I turned to face Christine.

"So, is she already in the dining hall or am I suppose to be there at a specific time?"

"Um...since she told me to get you a few minutes ago, I would say she is already there...waiting."

With a slight panicked look, she began to go down the hall.

"Follow me and I will take you to her!"

I nodded.

"I'm right behind you."

Leaving the servant quarters, Christine led me through the west hallway and stopped at the doorway before the kitchen. We entered the large dining room, which was a dark, red velvet room with a long table covered by a white table cloth. At the far end of the table, Lady Edna sat, taking small bites of the meal before her.

"Lady Edna, here is Mr. Sebastian," Christine announced, her voice trembling. "And I apologize for bringing him so late, I..."

"That is alright, Christine," Lady Edna said as she slowly looked up to meet Christine's gaze. "There is no hurry. I thank you for bringing him."

Christine eyes widened.

"I...your welcome, my lady."

She then turned to me.

"Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Sebastian."

I smiled.

"Please, just call me Sebastian."

She blushed.

"Okay...Sebastian."

She then retreated, leaving the room as quickly as she could.

"I'm impressed how well Christine is opening up to you."

I blinked, quickly turning my attention to Lady Edna.

"Pardon?"

She took a moment to swallow.

"When she first came here, she was so jittery and nervous that she could barely speak to anyone. It took her days for her to be comfortable around Martha, and only now can she speak to me or Daniel without stuttering so bad."

She gave a small smile.

"You must be quite the charmer."

I gave an uneasy laugh, a small heat rising to my face.

"Well...perhaps it is the fact that I've lost my memory that she feels that she doesn't have to prove anything. I don't know."

I walked over to where Lady Edna sat, where on her right, a place was set for me.

"That may be," Lady Edna replied as I sat down. "But whatever the case is, I'm just glad she won't be so intimidated by you."

She glanced over at my direction.

"I was curious to see what Jasper would do when Daniel told me what happened in the kitchen."

"It was...interesting," I said. "It took him hours to get my hair this way..."

Lady Edna gave a small laugh.

"I bet, from what I saw. Though I kind of liked it that way. It made you seem unique, as I've never seen someone with that long of hair. It was impressive."

"I..."

Somehow I _knew_ I was blushing. God, the more I looked at this woman, the more I begin to feel like Christine!

"...Well, I'm glad you thought so, since I looked terrible."

"You were also badly injured, close to death. Anyone would look bad from that."

She smiled.

"And just by a few hours, you already appear to be feeling better compared to this morning."

Again, I could see myself blushing by the way she was looking at me. That smile..._where_ have I seen it before?

"So, _do_ you feel any better?" Lady Edna asked. "You've had quite the day. You must be exhausted."

"While I am tired, I do not hurt as much," I answered. "I still feel a little weak in the chest, but I should be able to recover soon."

Lady Edna nodded.

"Good, I'm glad. I hope you regain your memory just as soon."

"I...hope so too."

There was a short silence as Lady Edna finished her meal, wiping her red lips with her napkin. I have yet to touch my plate, but at the moment I was not that hungry.

"...I've been thinking about that offer you had mentioned," I finally said, breaking the silence. "About me becoming your butler."

Lady Edna met my gaze.

"You have?"

I nodded.

"I...doubt my memory will come to me so quickly, and since I have nowhere else to go, taking a job here seemed like the most logical thing to do."

It took a moment for Lady Edna to reply.

"...I see. It would."

She smiled.

"Then I'll go ahead and tell you the requirements and what to expect."

She cleared her throat.

"While most noblemen will require great professionalism and perfection, I am not that strict. Since I rarely have a guest, all I ask you is to your duty with minimal effort and be willing to do whatever is asked of you. Now, if guests _were_ to come, then I would ask you to step it up a notch, but that is to be expected. As a butler, your duties will be to maintain order by the other servants, keep the manor tidy, and accompany me whenever I leave the manor for business purposes. Of course, that is just a basic generalization of what you will be doing, as Daniel can give you the exact details."

Oh, I bet he could. Every. Single. Little. Detail...

"Though your pay will be low," Lady Edna continued, "you will have free living spaces, a set of uniforms, and meals. The money you earn will be used for clothes outside the uniform, books, or whatever you may desire. While also being employed to me, I will pay for any medical needs you may have and make sure you feel that this is not only your workplace, but home as well."

I blinked.

"...You are very kind," I said surprised. "I wouldn't think many aristocrats are as kind to their servants."

Lady Edna sighed.

"Unfortunately, most treat their servants like second class citizens. I think of mine as my family, and they deserve to be treated accordingly for all the hard work they do."

Impressive...

I stared at her, as I guessed this is one of the acts that made Lady Edna stand out from the other noblewomen. However, I would consider this one a good trait.

"Sebastian, are you alright?"

I blinked a couple of times, seeing that Lady Edna was giving me a worried look. Damn, I didn't realize I dozed off! Shit...

"Sorry," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment with a large smile. "Long day."

Lady Edna studied me for a short moment.

"...It has been."

She looked down at my coat.

"...Once you are done eating, I can take your coat and have either Martha or Christine wash it. That way you don't have to wear a blood-soaked coat."

"I...thanks," I replied. "I would appreciate it."

Lady Edna nodded.

"You are welcome. Like I said, as my future servant, I will be taking care of you as you will be of me."

...What is this, my third time blushing from something she did or said? God, this woman!

Leaning back in her chair, Lady Edna gave a small smirk and crossed her arms.

"You have yet to eat anything," she pointed out. "I'm not going to have you starve, and neither of us are leaving this table until you've eaten a good amount."

I chuckled.

"As you wish, my lady."


	4. Memories or Insanity?

After a week of recovering, I became well enough to start my duties as the new Redwood butler. Amazingly, my wounds were mending at an unbelievable fast pace, to the point where you wouldn't be able to guess that only a few days ago, I was on Death's door. Martha, who tended to and checked my wounds every single day, was incredibly impressed by my quick healing.

"You are one strong man, Sebastian," Martha had said after she examined me. "If it had been any other person, it would have taken months to recover, _if_ they had lived to begin with. But you...it almost seems inhuman for you to recover so fast."

I blinked as I put my shirt back on.

"Does this mean...something is wrong with me?" I had asked, feeling slightly concerned.

Martha shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that. But it is just...so unnatural."

She sighed.

"Perhaps this may be a miracle by God. But regardless, you will fully recover in a matter of days."

She had smiled, trying to seem happy and relieved of my quick healing. However, I could see that she was concerned, unsettled even. And I did not blame her, to a certain extent, for my body seemed to be _anything_ but normal.

As the days passed, I began to notice little things about my physical state. Like my teeth. If I were to look closely into the mirror, I could see them at an extremely sharp point, almost like a knife. I didn't know if anyone else had noticed, but I did all I could to make sure I didn't open my mouth too wide. I also noticed that I was quite unnaturally strong and fast, as I would receive strange looks from the servants if I picked something heavy up to easily or reached one end of the manor to the other way too fast. It did not take long for me to control it, to seem normal, but I couldn't help but feel that this was only just the _beginning_ of what I was capable of.

Though, my unusual recovery wasn't entirely bad, as I felt stronger with each passing day, each passing hour even. Plus, the sooner I got better, the sooner I could begin my butler duties, which I was, in a way, looking forward to. When Martha finally said I was well enough to begin, Lady Edna ordered that I was to now live in the servant quarters and out of that bland, _empty_ guest room. Though my new room, which was right between Jasper's and Daniel's, was empty as well, it was not as big to have it bother me as much. Plus, Lady Edna said I could redecorate it as much as I liked, which I very much looked forward to doing.

On my first day as a butler, Daniel told me I had to wake up _exactly_ at six and meet him in the dining room, where he will begin to instruct on the butler's everyday life. I admit, I _dreaded_ waking up that early, but I did not complain. At least out loud.

When I first woke up, I felt like a walking corpse, barely conscious to do anything without falling straight down on my face. Somehow, I was able to get dressed in my new butler uniform, wishing I could wear my pretty, freshly clean red coat instead of the dull black one. Tying my hair into a ponytail, I then left my room and proceeded towards the dining room.

The manor was still fairly dark as I walked through it, the fiery light faintly making its way through the large windows. When it was dark like this, only having a very faint amount of light to see with, I grew to really like the manor this way. It was peaceful, calming and less stressful.

When I finally entered the dining room, Daniel was already there with a cart beside him. From a distance, I couldn't tell clearly what was on it, but the closer I got, I could see there was a tea set on it. Daniel was setting the table, no doubt preparing for Lady Edna's breakfast.

"You are late, Sebastian," he said, not even bothering to look up at me. "Waking up at six, you should have been here at five minutes past six."

"...Is it really that big of a deal?" I couldn't help but ask. "Lady Edna isn't awake yet and you can't blame me for being a little sluggish. This is my first day, after all."

Daniel sighed.

"Yes, but to be a butler, you must be super efficient and always be one step ahead of the master, or in our case, mistress."

Once he finished setting the table up, he walked over to the cart and picked up the teapot.

"However, I'm just warning you for now. After your first full week on the job, I won't be as sympathetic. And I don't say this to be cruel, but that is just how it is."

He gestured towards the teapot.

"Since I already got the table set for Lady Edna, I want you to try and make some tea. Try you best, and if you don't get it quite right, I already made a back up batch. Just do the best you can."

He sat it back onto the cart and took a few steps back.

...What, no long lecture on how high in quality the tea set is? Seems like I'm not the only one who was tired this morning.

I approached the cart, blinking a couple of times at the tea set. Obviously, there was the tea pot setting there, with a box of tea leaves setting next to it and a container full of, what I guessed was, boiling water. Blinking again, I grabbed the box of tea leaves, picking up the small measuring spoon beside it. I placed in two scoops of the leaves inside. Almost subconsciously, I then poured a half-pint of the water. When I was done, I asked Daniel without looking at him, "Do you want me to pour a cup for you to test it?"

"Yes, please do."

I barely heard his voice as I had already begun to delicately pour the tea into a cup. Once I had it at the right amount, I handed it to Daniel. Taking the cup, he studied it for a moment before taking a single sip. His eyes widened.

"Why...this is really good," he remarked, shocked. "Good indeed!"

He looked up at me.

"Have you ever made high quality tea before, Sebastian? There is no way a person with no experience in tea making could make a batch this good on their first try."

"I..."

I could not say.

I stared at Daniel for a moment, his large smile on his pale face sending a shiver down my spine, his brown eyes meeting my green ones. For a moment, I thought I could see a tint of red in them, where my head started to ache. I leaned against the table slightly for support, looking into his eyes again to see the red tint was gone from them.

"I...I don't know. Perhaps I've made tea before," I finally answered, trying to keep my voice steady. "It...just came to me as I made it. I can't explain."

Daniel blinked.

"Are you alright? Your face has gone incredibly pale."

I rubbed my forehead a bit.

"...Sorry, my head just began to hurt all of a sudden..."

Forcing myself to endure it, I straightened up and smiled.

"But I will be fine. And I appreciate the concern. You are so kind, Daniel."

It took awhile for Daniel to reply.

"...I wouldn't say that I am 'kind,' but you are welcome," he finally said, a tad uneasiness in his voice. "But the day is short and there is so much work left to be done."

* * *

As the rest of the day went on, Daniel took me in step by step instructions how the duties of the butler went, while also allowing me to work as well. And, similar to the tea situation, most of the things I did came to me subconsciously. From polishing the china to cleaning the windows, I was able to do those tasks without much trouble or instruction.

However, as the day went on, my headache continued to stay with me, if not get worse. At times, I thought I would hear a faint voice, or see something from the corner of my eye. But before I could process what it was, it would be gone just as fast as it came. Was this my memory trying to return to me or was I going crazy? Somehow, it seemed a little bit of both.

At one point, when I was cleaning the windows, I was able to get a good view of the garden outside. Like Christine had said, it was very impressive, all the trees and shrubs evenly trimmed with a wide range of colorful flowers, all evenly aligned, in separate flowerbeds. The garden looked like it could go for miles, a small dirt path flowing through every part of it. I smiled, my mind drifting off slightly as I took in the pretty scenery.

Suddenly, I heard someone scream. My eyes widened, for I could have sworn all the shrubs were in the shape of skulls. I gasped, backing up and blinking a couple of times. When I looked again, the shrubs were back into their normal appearance and the screaming was gone.

What..._what_ the hell was that?!

"Sebastian, is something wrong?"

I flinched at the sound of Daniel's voice. I stood where I was, trying to get my heart to stop beating so fast as I slowly turned to face him. I smiled.

"You gave me quite a scare, Daniel. Did you need something?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"While I am impressed for how well you are performing your duties, and on your first day to say the least, you have be extremely jumpy and distant."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Sebastian, if your head injuries are bothering you, you don't have to push yourself. Just because you are physically capable of taking up the job, your mental state is a different story."

"I...well, my head does hurt a little," I confessed, trying to keep my smile up. "But I don't just want to lay down all day. I-"

"_Ahhhhh_!"

Both Daniel and I froze as we heard Christine's screams echo throughout the manor. Immediately, we both ran towards the direction of the scream, where we ended up at the library. Upon entering, Daniel gasped and my eyes widened.

Towards the end of the room, Christine stood in front of a coffee table, shattered glass all around her. Tears ran down her cheeks as her whole body shook, her gaze staring blankly at the floor. Martha was right beside her, anger twisting all over her face.

"Christine, you foolish girl!" she cried. "I told you that you needed to be extremely careful with that!"

"Martha, what's going on?" Daniel demanded as he quickly approached them.

When she saw he was there, Christine's eyes went wide with fright while Martha turned to face him.

"Christine and I were dusting here when she was about to dust this table," Martha explained. "I told her that glass figurine on it was extremely heavy and for her to be careful while cleaning."

She sighed heavily.

"As you can see, she did not heed my warning clearly enough."

She glanced over Daniel's shoulder and saw me standing there.

"Sebastian, can you please take Christine away while Daniel and I fix this?" Martha asked. "She is incredibly shaken and I don't want her alone."

I nodded in reply. Whispering into Christine's ear, Martha told her to leave the room as she quickly walked to my side. Clearly overly emotional and fluster, I put my arm around her and led her out of the room.

"Let's go sit down somewhere," I advised. "Would you like to go the lounge, the garden or where?"

"I-It doesn't matter!"

Christine stopped dead in her in her tracks, clutching her fists tightly.

"Don't bother trying to calm me down, Sebastian, I know I'm finished!" she sobbed. "I screwed up _big_ time! I-I-I thought I could handle it, I thought I could show Martha I was fine...but I was wrong! Like with _everything_ else!"

Pushing me away, Christine walked a few steps forward before she fell to her knees, crying uncontrollably.

"...I-I know I'm going to be fired after this! Lady Edna will see my stupidity and kick me out, leaving me stranded and all alone!"

She choked on her words for a second.

"M-Maybe it would be for the best if I _kill_ myself! To get my misery over with, knowing I'm dead anyway! I-I-I..."

At this point, her sobs and cries drowned out her words. I stood where I was for a long moment, not quite sure how to comfort her. If I could at all. Slowly, I got in front of her, leaning down to her level.

"Christine, look at me."

Immediately, she lifted her head up, staring deeply into my eyes.

"Look," I said, "if you kill yourself, all you are going to do is make more work for Daniel, Martha, and everyone else. So what that you broke a glass figurine? It isn't like you trimmed the shrubs to look like skulls or something..."

Christine's eyes widened at that comment.

"W-what? How or why would anyone..."

I smiled.

"See? It could be worse. Like you could have found yourself on top of a cart, rolling uncontrollably down the hallway and then having it collapse, you falling onto the floor and spill tea all over someone's shirt, completely humiliating yourself..."

I paused. Wait..._where_ did that come from?

Well, whatever it was, it was calming Christine down, as she gave a small smile and laughed. While she was distracted, I helped her stand up.

"Come, let's go down to the lounge and I'll make you a cup of tea. It looks like you need one. Badly."

"O-okay..."

Christine looked up at me.

"Y-you won't be riding on top of the cart and spilling it all over me, will you?"

I laughed, giving a slight crooked smile.

"No, I won't. The last thing we need is Daniel yelling at me for screwing up beyond belief... Especially for my first day on the job, that would be even worse!"

Christine chuckled softly in reply as I put my arm around her again, leading her to the lounge.


	5. Unexpected

When I got Christine to settle down in the lounge, I quickly made my way to the kitchen. Fortunately, Simon was there, where I explained the situation to him and hoped his calm presence would help sooth Christine. While I made the tea in the kitchen, Simon stayed with her. Soon enough, the tea was done and I brought it into the lounge.

"You know Lady Edna wouldn't just kick you out like that," Simon was saying when I entered the room. "Besides, everyone makes mistakes. It isn't the end of the world if you break some meaningless glass object."

"But most people _learn_ from their mistakes!" Christine cried, her whole body tensed. "Me, I keep making the same mistakes over and over again! I've been here over two weeks and I've yet to do something right by myself!"

Tears threatened to swell up again.

"Don't be so harsh on yourself," I said as I poured her a cup of tea. "Trust me when I say that you are _not_ the first one to be a complete klutz."

I handed her the tea, where her shaky hands tried to reach for it. Simon had to help keep her steady, but she was eventually able to bring the hot liquid to her mouth.

"And you are not completely hopeless, Christine," I continued. "If you want hopeless, look at Simon and his kitchen. I mean, it's got to be the _dirtiest_ thing I've ever seen! And he's been here longer then you and Lady Edna hasn't fired him yet, right?"

I made eye contact with Simon, hoping that he wouldn't take offense to it. Thankfully, he understood what I was trying to do, as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I can't deny that. In many ways, you are more capable of being a servant then I am!"

Christine looked down at her tea.

"I guess...but at least you are able to cook a decent meal. And you don't need someone watching over you twenty-four seven..."

"'Don't need to be watched?'"

Simon gave a small laugh.

"I guess Jasper criticizing me every five seconds doesn't count, right? The man is always at my throat."

"But..."

She lost her words as she sat her tea cup to the side. I sighed heavily. It seemed that we're going in circles. I saw that the girl had confidence issues, but _this_ was ridiculous!

"Obviously, this has something more to it than just a simple screw up."

Christine blinked, looking up at me. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Sebastian?"

I looked straight into Christine's eyes, looking at her as if I was staring into her soul.

"Why do you think you are a screw up, to the point where you feel that your life does not matter? What has caused you to think like this?"

There was a long silence. Christine looked at me with eyes that were desperate to speak out, but a great fear was trying to prevent herself from revealing it. Whatever was on her mind, I could tell that it has haunted her for a long time, causing a lot of emotional trauma. I glanced up at Simon.

"Can you please step out of the room so that I may talk to Christine privately?" I asked. "And make sure that the others don't come in."

Simon nodded. "Sure thing."

Gently patting Christine's shoulder, he then left the room, closing the lounge's doors behind him. When we were alone, I took a hold of Christine's hands.

"Now, tell me _everything_ that is bothering you," I said gently. "Whatever it is, I promise you holding it in is only going to make things worse on your soul."

There was a long silence, Christine avoiding eye contact as her breathing became heavier. She took in a deep breath of air.

"...W-when I was a child, my family has always been poor and lived in poor environments. My mother was a very ill woman, her mind...did not work like how it was suppose to. She was not always liked this, but not too long after I was born, my father said, that her health started to decline. If we weren't careful, she would have been taken to a mental home and my father wanted to prevent that. So throughout my whole childhood, I helped Father keep Mother safe, safe from the men in white coats..."

Christine took a tight grip on my hands, trying her best to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"In many ways, I was the one who raised my mother while my father was the one who raised me. As a child, Father was the one who resembled strength while Mother resembled fragility. I looked up to Father, I wanted to be him and be nothing like Mother. I feared...that one day I would become her, as Father said I was _so_ much like her..."

She paused for a moment.

"...While Father worked to keep us in the little house we lived in, it was my job to take care of Mother. I was always very shaky around her, afraid that I would do something wrong to set her off. Some days, she would be calm and loving, while other days she was violent and unable to recognize who I was. There were times that she would get so out of control, I would have to knock her out and then muffling her to make sure the neighbors don't become suspicious. In many ways, Mother frightened me, and the only place I found comfort was from Father. He was the only sane person I was able to get close to, because I was rarely allowed to leave the house, as someone always had to be watching Mother. Watching her unpredictable behavior..."

Tears fell from her eyes, landing on the white apron of her maid uniform.

"O-one night, when Father and I tucked Mother into bed, he told me that he was about to lose his job and that soon we would be out on the streets. He said that the only way to save us was to go to America and start a new life. He told me that he would have to be gone for at least two months, and that I had to take care of Mother on my own. To show him I was strong, to show him I was capable of not becoming like my mother, I told him I could do it. T-That he could rely on me and that nothing would happen to us!"

She gave a harsh laugh as the tears fell faster and faster.

"Well, not even two weeks had passed before Mother had one of her uncontrollable behavior swings. And it was a bad one, one that involved lots of screaming. I tried to calm her down, but it was too much for me. S-s-she almost _killed_ me, telling me I was worthless and needed to be taken care of... And she would have succeeded, too, if it wasn't for the members of the asylum coming into the house. T-they took Mother away from me, while one of the neighbors came to my side, seeing if I was alright. I-I-I saw one of the men in white pin mother to her bed, attempting to put a straitjacket on her. I screamed, _b-begging_ them to not take her away. But they did not listen, some of them even claiming that _I_ was mad myself. In the end, they took Mother away, telling the neighbor that if I showed any signs of the same madness, to call them straight away."

Christine shook, her words mixing in with sobs.

"U-unable to handle the fact that I failed my father, unable to handle the fact that I was _incapable_ like my mother, I ran away. And ever since then, I went from job to job, city to city, hoping to make a living for myself and prove I was able to live on my own. But, no matter what the job was, I couldn't hold it for long. I was too afraid of messing up the job, just like how I failed to take care of Mother, that I ended up screwing it up _anyway_!"

She met my gaze.

"Sebastian, it will only be a matter of time when I _do_ end up like her. P-please, end it for me so I don't have to suffer like the failure I am! Please..."

Unable to hold it any longer, she covered her face with her hands and cried, her long dark hair falling into her face. I stared at her for a long moment, shocked to hear such a story.

What a poor, suffering soul she possessed. I...I had no idea how to respond to this, for this feeling of helplessness and self loathing sounded very familiar to me. But I had to do something, even though a part of me found it a little pathetic that she was breaking so easily.

"Christine, look at me."

Slowly removing her hands away from her face, she met my gaze.

"I can tell you that not many people can go through what you did," I said, sounding surprisingly sincere. "Not many people have the soul or will to take care of their mother at a young age, most would have gone mad just by doing it. But you...I can clearly tell are not mad. Just afraid."

Christine's eyes widened.

"You can do this, so long as you have the will to do so. You just have to let go and don't let anyone or anything pull you down. You're only doomed to fail if you don't gain confidence in yourself and find a way to succeed. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"

Christine stared at me for a short moment, her body shaking.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me and tightly embraced me, crying into my shoulder for comfort. I froze, my body tensing up. Looking behind the chair Christine was sitting in, I saw that Lady Edna and Martha stood by the open door, watching us. I had no idea how long they've been there, but I could see deep sympathy and sadness in their gazes. Lady Edna and my eyes met.

"...Christine."

I hugged her back.

"You've had a long day," I said softly. "You need to rest."

Taking a few steps back, I helped her stand up and walked her over to the door. At the sight of Martha and Lady Edna, Christine stiffen up again, clinging onto my arm for dear life.

"It is alright, my dear."

Martha came up to her side, taking a hold of her hand.

"Everything will be alright now," she said gently. "I promise you that nothing will happen to you."

Christine's grip on Martha's hand tightened. As the elder maid led her away, Christine was forced to let go of me. When they left the room, only Lady Edna and I remained. Lady Edna gave a small sigh.

"I…never realized that she was keeping something like that in all this time," she said. "I should have suspected something like this when I found little to nothing on her background, but I was too sympathetic to see otherwise…"

She looked up at me.

"Thank you, Sebastian. If you weren't here, who knows what could have happened. I doubt anyone else would have been able to reach her like you did."

I blushed slightly.

"You _really_ give me too much credit, my lady," I replied with a small smile. "Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing…"

"And maybe that's what helped Christine to open up."

I blinked, slightly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Lady Edna smiled.

"Don't take this wrong way when I say this, but compared to everyone here, you are the most defenseless. Christine, poor girl, does not have any self-esteem, and when you showed up…well, you seem like an equal to her. One that won't do her harm."

She moved closer to me, her long crimson hair glowing in the light coming from the nearby window.

"If I may request one thing of you, Sebastian," Lady Edna continued, "is that you oversee Christine and try to build up her confidence. I know this is a lot to ask of you, especially since you've barely begun your job here, but I believe you are the only one who can successfully help her."

I stared into Lady Edna's eyes.

"…Of course, I will do my best. I will do whatever you may ask of me, my lady."

Lady Edna smirked.

"Why so formal all of a sudden?"

She laughed and patted my head, like I was a cute dog or something.

"You are too kind, Sebastian."

I smiled.

"Well, I am a butler to _die_ for!"

Without thinking, I made a weird hand gestured with my right hand, sticking my pinky and pointer finger out, while also sticking my tongue out. Lady Edna raised an eyebrow, a puzzled look in her gaze. There was a long silence, as I soon realized how ridiculous looked.

"…Eh he…"

I backed away slightly.

"Err…perhaps I should retire as well. I think I need it…"

Okay, if this was _really_ how my memory was going to come back, I think I prefer just being totally clueless rather than having random, embarrassing outbursts…

I continued to give off an uneasy laugh, hoping to lighten the mood to when Lady Edna calls me crazy. But she didn't, instead she just simply _laughed_. Laughing like I had said the funniest thing to her! I blinked, my face going into a probably nice shade of red.

"Um…?"

It took a moment before Lady Edna could control herself.

"Ha ha ha! You really are a charming one, Sebastian!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you decided to become my butler! I really needed a servant with a good sense of humor."

She winked at me.

"I thank you again for helping Christine, and I promise I will give you an extra amount when I give you your first pay check. Have a good evening."

Chuckling to herself, she then left the room, leaving me to my thoughts as I admired how stunning she looked when she laughed.


	6. A Trip to London

As the days went by, I observed Christine as she slowly began to gain confidence in herself, while also performing my own duties at the same time. After I would receive my list of chores from Daniel, I would meet up with Christine and we would work together to get our jobs done.

On the first day working with her, I immediately noticed that she was less shaky in her movements, able pick up things to dust or clean without struggling in the process. I suspected that was because she no longer had to keep her fears hidden and she felt some security knowing if something was to go wrong, I was there to support her. Though she was less shaky, she still held some hesitation in her work and would get flustered if I had to leave the room for any reason. It was a bit of a pain, but I felt that this was the first time the poor girl actually allowed herself to show weakness and not keep it in to destroy her internally. And for that reason, I was patient with her, and little by little, I could see her grow stronger.

Soon, we reached the end of the month, and before I could begin my days' duties, Daniel approached me saying that Lady Edna's monthly trip to London was in a few days from now.

"Every month, our lady has a meeting with all the men she is in business with," Daniel explained. "The trip is usually four days long, two days of traveling and two days in the actual city. Martha and I are always with her during these trips, and Christine, Simon, and Jasper rotate, as we all can't leave the manor unattended."

He smiled.

"Naturally since you are the newest servant, you are most likely the one who will join us on this trip. You have worked hard, and Lady Edna has really taken a notice to it."

"That's great," I replied. "I look forward to a little change in scenery."

Daniel nodded.

"As do I. You won't have to attend the meeting, as Lady Edna..._specially_ requests that she not accompanied to it."

His eye twitched with irritation at that last sentence.

"So this will be mostly like a vacation for you."

A vacation...

That sounded great, that way I don't have to wear this horrid, bland butler uniform! For a few days, I can go back to wearing my pretty red coat! And maybe while I'm in London, I could shop for some new clothes for myself, as the only thing I had to wear was my butler uniforms. He he, this was going to be fun!

"Well, just because you will soon be on vacation does not mean you can delay in your duties," Daniel said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Here is the list of everything I need you to get done today."

Handing me the usual white paper, I took it, skimming the words.

"Uh huh... Alright, I got."

I smirked and winked at him.

"You can count on me, Danny!"

Daniel groaned, placing his hand in front of his face.

"_Please_ don't call me that..."

I laughed.

"Oh, come on! You really need to lighten up, being so dead beat serious all the time. It is _so_ dreadfully dull!"

I faked a yawn to emphasis his boringness. An uneasy laugh escaped his lips as Daniel turned his back on me.

"D-do try to _stay_ professional, Sebastian."

As quickly as he could, he left the servants' quarters. I was about to leave myself, when I saw from the corner of my eye Christine approaching me.

"Did I hear Daniel correctly that Lady Edna's about to make her trip to London?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Yes. He just explained to me the details about it, and said that I would be going, along with him and Martha."

"Oh, I see..."

She looked down at the floor. I could sense something was bothering her, however, before I could question her about it, Christine looked up at me.

"Sebastian...do you think I have what it takes to work on my own?" she asked, her voice soft. "Do you...think I could try and take Martha's place as Lady Edna's head maid on this short trip?"

I did not answer her right away, for I could sense that this was taking all of her courage to ask me this.

"Well...do _you_ think you can?"

Christine blinked.

"I...don't know. But you keep telling me that I need to find confidence in myself..."

She clutched her fists.

"And the only way I'll gain confidence is by stepping out of my comfort zone. A-and if you'll be there with me, I know I could do it."

I studied her for a moment.

Well, this was an improvement. The girl was now trying to stand up for herself. I wasn't sure if she was ready to be completely on her own, with her mental state, but perhaps some time away from the manor could do her some good.

I smiled. "If you think you can do it, then why don't we go see Lady Edna and see what she has to say. After all, it is her decision who comes and who stays."

Christine's eyes widened.

"W-_wait_!"

She backed up, waving her hands in protest.

"I...forget it! I don't want to bother Lady Edna!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Christine..."

Taking a hold of her hand, I dragged her towards Lady Edna's study, where I had the feeling she would be.

"S-Sebastian!"

Christine fought back, crying out that it wasn't worth it. But I told her that it was, using all my strength to push her forward. But it took _a lot_ of effort. Seriously, for as small and fragile she appeared, she was _quite_ strong, almost pulling me down the stairs as I tried to pull her up them!

"Sebastian, Christine?"

Struggling in the middle of the stairs, both Christine and I froze, looking up to see Lady Edna watching us from above.

"L-Lady Edna!"

Christine immediately stopped struggling, causing me to lose my balance for a second. Once I regain my composure, I looked up at Lady Edna and gave a large smile.

"Hello, my lady!" I exclaimed. "Christine and I were looking for you!"

"'Looking for me?'"

Lady Edna walked up to us, her dark gaze moving between me and an extremely embarrassed Christine.

"You see, my lady," I explained, "Christine has something _very_ important to tell you! It is about your soon-to-be trip to London."

"Is it?"

Lady Edna turned her attention towards her.

"What do you wish to tell me, Christine?"

Christine stuttered, her eyes wide with fear. Glancing up at me, I gave her a small nod.

"Go on. You can do it."

Gulping, Christine closed her eyes and quickly stated, "I wish to come with you as your maid on your trip to London!"

Lady Edna blinked, looking surprised as Christine opened her eyes.

"I-I know it isn't my place to request such things," she said, "but I just...want to try to see if I can do it, if you will allow me..."

She rubbed her arm, avoiding eye contact as she waited for a reply. After a small silence, Lady Edna gave a gentle smile.

"If that is what you wish," she said. "I will tell Martha right away. I'm sure she won't mind staying here instead of going to the busy city."

Christine tensed up, looking up at her in shock.

"I-I...thank you, my lady!"

She curtsied.

"I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't."

Lady Edna turned to me.

"I assume Daniel told you that you will be coming with us, correct?"

I nodded in reply. Lady Edna smiled.

"Good. Then I will see you later, Sebastian."

She then went down the stairs. Once she was gone, Christine stood where she was, blinking a couple of times as if she couldn't believe what just happened. I smiled.

"Looks like you will be going with us," I said. "And I know you will do fine. It will be a breeze from here."

Christine was silent for a moment.

"...I can't believe that I did that..."

She met my gaze.

"I can't screw this up, now that I have requested this from Lady Edna. I...can't..."

I put my arm around her before she could start rambling.

"You will be _fine_, Christine. Just stay calm and it will be like working here at the manor, if not easier, since this is technically a small vacation."

We started to walk down the stairs.

"Now, let's get started with our chores for today. I don't think Daniel or Martha would like it if we don't start soon."

Christine smiled slightly and nodded in reply.

* * *

By the end of the week, it was time to go to London. The manor was about a day's way from the city, Daniel and I taking turns driving the carriage while Christine and Lady Edna sat comfortably inside. The sun was beginning to set by the time we got to the city limits, me being the one driving and Daniel giving me instructions how to get to the townhouse. As I drove through the streets of London, a sense of déjà vu was upon me as so much of the city looked familiar to me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean this _was_ an important city in Britain, so it wouldn't be shocking if I was here once before I lost my memory.

Once we finally reached the townhouse, we were in the aristocratic area of the city, large Victorian houses all around us. They all were very unified in every way in appearance, making me wonder if many aristocrats got lost when trying to find their specific house among others that looked so much like it. However, it would seem Daniel could spot a difference, as when we finally arrived in front of our townhouse, he pointed it out to me and ordered me to park.

Once the carriage was stopped, Daniel got off and opened the door for Lady Edna and Christine. They went inside the house while I took care of the horses, and once I was done, I went inside myself.

"Daniel, can you please cook us something?" I heard Lady Edna say when I walked in. "I would like something quick to eat before I think about retiring for the night."

"As you wish, my lady."

Daniel headed towards the kitchen.

"Christine, please go up stairs and make sure everything is prepared for us," Lady Edna ordered. "Also, start bringing our things in with Sebastian."

Christine nodded. "Yes, my lady!"

Moving passed me, she dashed towards the carriage. But before I went out to help her, I turned to face Lady Edna.

"Before I go, may I ask you something, my lady?" I asked.

Lady Edna smiled.

"Sure, Sebastian. What is it?"

"I'm curious...who will you be seeing at your meeting tomorrow? I've heard that you are in a trading business, but I've never heard what kind."

Unexpectedly, Lady Edna's eyes grew cold, her friendly expression vanishing from her face.

"I can understand you being curious, but that information is classified. You don't need to know the specifics."

Her voice was firm and standoffish, threatening even. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that?" I questioned. "It's not something illegal, is it?"

Why else be so secretive about it otherwise?

"No. _No_ it is not."

Lady Edna narrowed her eyes.

"Please go help Christine move our things in, Sebastian. I'm sure she will need help."

Without another word, she left the entry hall and went to the living room. Not wanting to push the conversation any further, I went outside to help Christine, many things going through my mind.


	7. Shopping Sprees and Violent Memories

"Hmm...this is a pretty shirt," I said as I lifted up a long, bright red shirt. "...Yes, this will do just nicely!"

I was standing in the middle of a men's clothing store, looking through the selection and trying to find a few casual clothes for myself. Christine stood next to me, holding the clothes I chose out in her arms as I picked each one out. She looked down at them, noticing all of them had a very similar trait.

"You really must like the color red, Sebastian," Christine said. "Almost everything you have chosen so far has all been some shade of red..."

I handed her the shirt.

"I guess I do," I answered with a smile. "I'm just subconsciously drawn to that color, I suppose."

Christine laughed.

"Obviously!"

She gave a small smile.

"But it does look great on you. It really compliments your hair."

I studied the amount of clothes she held.

"...Though I would love to buy some more, I think that will be enough for now."

I took the clothes from her.

"I'll go ahead and try them on. And once we are done, we can go next door and see if we can find anything for you."

Christine blinked, a nervous look appearing in her eyes.

"I...okay. If you want to..."

She walked off to the front of the store while I headed to the dressing rooms. Once I found a room, I went inside it and changed into all of my chosen outfits. With the money I had, I was able to choose three pairs of pants and four shirts. The pants, though looked black from a distance, were actually a dark maroon colored while the shirts were in different shades of red, one dark, one faded, and one that was the same color of red as my coat.

As I tried each of them on, I smiled, a part of me feeling somewhat free wearing something else then the black of my butler uniform. However, the bright redness of my shirts did seem flamboyant, screaming out for attention. I could imagine Daniel's reaction if he saw me in this bright red of a shirt, the look of horror on his face... I wondered if Lady Edna would like me wearing something like this?

Once I was done trying everything on, I changed back to my original clothes and left the dressing rooms. After I paid for my clothes, I met up with Christine and we walked next door to the women's clothing store.

"So, what kind of outfit do you want to get?" I asked her. "Anything in particular you want to look at?"

"Um...I don't know," Christine rambled, her eyes drifting throughout the store. "Maybe a new dress, or something..."

Rubbing her arm nervously, she wandered over towards the selection of dresses the store had to offer. Skimming through them, she picked one out and turned to me.

"What do you think of this one?"

I studied the dress. It was a dark blue dress, with a very flat skirt and barely any flair or emotion to it. I frowned.

"Not to be rude, Christine, but that dress..."

I sighed.

"It...is just too _bland_. You already wear an expressionless maid's outfit every day. Don't you want something that is more fiery, to make you standout?"

Christine's eyes widened.

"I...well, I admit this dress isn't as nice some of the others..."

I rubbed my forehead, sighing softly. This girl was _so_ hopeless at times!

"Here," I said, "let me take a look around and see if I can find a better dress for you. You don't have to buy it, but at least try it on for me and see what it looks like on you. And if you don't like it, you can buy this one. Does that seem fair?"

Christine nodded shyly in reply.

"Alright...just don't choose anything over the top. I...don't want to stand out too much."

She avoided eye contact.

"I'm not like you to where I can stay so confident, especially in my appearance... I wish I was, but I'm not and I know it."

"Well, that can be changed!"

Moving past her, I went over to the dress selection, carefully studying each one I saw. Christine moved in right behind me, saying nothing as I went through dress after dress. I found myself strangely critical and picky about each one I looked at, as if I was picking something out _for myself_ instead of my friend. I did find some that I would have liked to try on myself, but I tried to push those feelings towards the side, as part of my conscience found it a little creepy. In the back, I then found a dress that I knew would be _perfect_ for Christine to put on.

A similar style to one she had chosen out, this dress however was a bright red color with white trimmings and lace. It had a more fluffed out skirt, making any woman who wore it extremely graceful. Smiling, I showed the dress to Christine.

"Try this one on," I advised. "I think you would look beautiful in it."

Christine's face paled a bit, but she took the dress without hesitation.

"I h-hope you are right. Wait for me, I want your opinion how I look."

She turned her back towards me.

"...And be honest how you think it looks on me..."

She then walked off into the dressing room. I waited patiently, or as patiently as I could, getting lost in my own thoughts.

I thought back to where I asked Lady Edna about her business, how coldly she reacted. What could her motive be for acting that way? It prayed on my mind, and my curiosity failed to fade away. Did any of the other servants know what our lady does? Christine, Jasper, and Simon probably didn't, if I wasn't allowed to, and something told me that Daniel wouldn't know the details either... What about Martha? From what I've seen, Martha seemed to have worked for Lady Edna the longest, and was the closest to her. Maybe once we all get back to the manor, I'll ask Martha, causally of course, if she knew anything.

"Sebastian, is that you?"

Returning to reality, I glanced over to see Daniel, looking _quite_ handsome in casual clothes, walking towards me.

"Danny, didn't expect to see you here," I said with a smile. "Enjoying your evening?"

He cringed at the sound of his nickname.

"Yes, much," Daniel replied professionally. "And how about you?"

"Same. Christine and I have spent the whole day wandering around London. After buying myself some clothes, we came here to see if we could get Christine something nice."

I gestured towards the dressing rooms.

"She is changing into a dress I picked out for her. I chose a dress that I hope will brighten her up, give her a more confident image."

"I see."

There was a small silence.

"...What kind of clothes did you get?" Daniel asked, looking down at my bag.

"Oh, just a few causal things," I replied. "I wanted something else to wear besides my butler uniform, so I picked out a few things."

I moved the bag closer to him so he could see. Daniel looked inside, his brown eyes growing wide for a second.

"...You _would_ pick something like _that_ out."

He pushed the bag away from himself, turning his gaze away from me. And I swore they had a look of _disgust_ in them. I narrowed my eyes.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"I mean that you would choose to wear something as unorthodox as _that_," Daniel answered, his voice turning cold. "Something that no man in his right mind would wear."

I clutched my fists, anger flaring in my gaze.

"How dare you insult me like that! You have no right to-"

"Oh, Daniel!"

The sound of Christine's shocked cry cut me off. Both Daniel and I turned to see her standing before us. Wearing the red dress, its fabric elegantly flowed from her. The bright color of the dress made her hair and eyes appear darker and mysterious, making her skin also seem paler. She looked ravishing in it, and I could only imagine her looking even more beautiful if she were to go all out with makeup and her hair styled.

"Christine...you look amazing!" I exclaimed. "You _must_ get that dress! It looks like it was meant for you!"

Christine blushed.

"R-really? You don't think it's a bit too much on me?"

I shook my head.

"My dear, you can _never_ go wrong dressing in the color red."

I gave a mischievous smile.

"And let me tell you, you are going to drive the men _wild_ with it! Don't you agree with me, Danny?"

I turned to face him. Daniel's eyes were wide, and for the first time since I've known him, the man seemed speechless.

"...Yes, you do look lovely, Christine," he finally said, his voice soft. "It fits you nicely."

At his complement, Christine's blush grew, her eyes meeting his as she rubbed her arm.

"T-thank you, Daniel."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, me moving my gaze between them. A large smile slithered its way to my lips.

"Well...if boring Danny is impressed, then it _must_ be a buy!"

Pretending I had a pocket watch, I let out an over-the-top gasp.

"Oh dear...I need to go!"

I put my hand on Daniel's shoulder and smiled.

"Would you mind taking care of Christine for me? I have to go...do something important."

Daniel blinked a couple of times.

"W-what? Why?"

Ignoring him, I turned to an alarmed Christine and said, "I'll see you later back at the townhouse. Ta-da for now!"

And before either one of them could question what was going on, I dashed out of the store, leaving in a random direction so that they could not catch up to me. I giggled to myself, happily going down the street as I couldn't believe the look that Daniel gave when he saw Christine! And Christine's face was just as priceless. Oh, many wonderful thoughts came to me as I thought of ways to play matchmaker with them!

However, that blissfulness soon left me as I noticed my surroundings had changed. I stopped where I was, seeing that I was no longer at one of the higher points in London. I seemed to have stumbled upon an older part of the city, the sidewalk and buildings having an older, filthier, grittier look to them. It was also less crowded, but the few people who walked past me were in rags and as filthy of clothing. My headed started to ache slightly, as the dark area seemed so familiar. Across the street, I saw a woman walk by, her blonde hair in a messy bun, her eyes dull, and her cleavage in almost full view. She looked like a prostitute, wandering defenselessly through the dark streets...

My headache suddenly went into an unbearable amount of pain, a woman's cry of terror echoed in my mind. Grunting, I retreated into a nearby alleyway, leaning against the wall as the screaming rang in my ears. Red tinted images flashed in my mind. I tried to remember the images, but my headache was too great for me to focus on anything. And the horrid woman's screams soon merged into another woman's scream, and another's and another's till they all meld together as one...

"Sebastian? Sebastian, is that you?"

My eyes widened, a gentle voice breaking through the screams of pure terror and agony. I looked up, seeing I was now sitting on the ground, to see a woman in red standing before me, her eyes piercing into mine. It took a minute for me to recognize her, but it was no doubt Lady Edna.

"...My lady..."

Lady Edna gave me a worried look.

"Sebastian, are you alright? Why are you all curled up in this dirty alleyway?"

She helped me stand up. I groaned.

"I...I got a really bad headache all of a sudden," I said, my headache lightening up. "I...just had to sit down for a second, I guess."

I met her dark brown-red gaze. Somehow, seeing Lady Edna here helped eased the pain.

"...Though I'm happy to see you right now, my lady," I said weakly, "I have to question what are you doing in a dirty place like this?"

It took a moment before she replied.

"...I just so happened to be passing through. Nothing else."

Lady Edna gave a small smile.

"Come, I know the perfect place that will help your headache."

She took a hold of my arm and pulled me out of the alleyway and without really a choice, I followed her out of the poorer area of London.


	8. Red in the Cemetery

As the sunlight started to die out, Lady Edna and I sat on a wooden bench in a small park, enjoying the peace of the evening. I felt a cool breeze flow past me, closing my eyes as the peacefulness of the moment helped soothe my aching head.

"Is your headache getting any better?" Lady Edna asked after a few minutes of silence.

I opened one eye and looked at her.

"...It is. Thank you for bringing me here."

I straightened myself up. If I wasn't careful, I could probably fall asleep here! Lady Edna smiled.

"Glad to hear. I hate to see my servants in pain."

She leaned forward a bit, her long red braid falling over her shoulder.

"When I was younger, I'd used to come to this park whenever I got the chance to come to London. I don't remember how I originally found it, but I've always loved how peaceful this park is. Like it is part of its own world where you can forget your worries and lose yourself."

Her voice trailed off as she got lost in her own thoughts.

"...You sound like you have a lot on your mind."

At the sound of my comment, Lady Edna tensed and sat up.

"You could say that. Running a business...as big as the one I have can be stressful. But it is all under control, so there is nothing to worry about."

She gave a large smile, hoping I wouldn't question her any further. But, I could see past that fake smile and see that she was desperate to hide something. I narrowed my eyes.

"I see. Though you have still yet to tell me _what_ your business is. After all, you acted very secretive last time I asked about it."

Though the lighting was dim, I could faintly see Lady Edna's face paled. She avoided eye contact, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Look, Sebastian, I didn't mean to snap at you the way I did, but it really doesn't concern you. This is just something I have to face on my own and I can't let anyone else get involved."

I raised an eyebrow, noticing how insecure her soul was.

"Are you saying that you are in trouble?"

"...No. No I am not."

Liar.

Lady Edna looked into my eyes, and after a moment, a small smile came across her face.

"I don't know if anyone has told you this," she said, obviously trying to change the subject, "but you have the most beautiful eyes. That bright, almost glowing green makes them seem so exotic."

"I...uh..."

I could feel my face heat up _really_ fast.

"I...thank you."

There was a short silence, a sense of nostalgia coming from those words. Someone had told me that before, saying they found beauty in my eyes...

_"You may be a strange one...but your eyes are perfect."_

...A voice. A sweet, female voice filled my ears, one that made my heart skip a beat. A voice...one that my heart seemed to recognize, but my memory didn't.

"...Sebastian?"

I could see Lady Edna's worried look. I smiled.

"Sorry, dozed off again. I'm a little tired, that's all."

Lady Edna studied me for a moment before she replied.

"...I am too. It has been a long day."

She stood up.

"Go ahead and get back to the townhouse," she ordered as she stretched her arms slightly. "I want to stop at one place before I make my way home."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What place?" I asked as I quickly stood up. "And can't it wait until tomorrow? It is getting awfully late."

Lady Edna smirked.

"It is. But with how late we've stayed, Daniel will lecture me and will not leave my side all day tomorrow, fearing that I will 'wander off.'"

She turned her back on me.

"It shall not take long, and I prefer to do this alone. I am capable of defending myself, so there is no need to worry. Goodnight, Sebastian."

She began to head out of the park. Taking a tight hold of my shopping bag, I ran to catch up to her.

"With all due respect, my lady," I said, walking beside her, "there is no way in hell I am letting you go alone. You can't expect me to just allow my mistress to just wander these dark streets by herself and not know where she is going!"

I crossed my arms and gave a stubborn look.

"And _nothing_ you can say or do will change my mind otherwise."

Lady Edna looked up at me for a second. She gave a small smile and a soft sigh.

"Fine. I'll allow you to escort me, but once we reach the destination, I go alone. That is an order as your master."

"Fine, I agree," I replied. "But _where_ are we going, exactly?"

"A cemetery," Lady Edna answered. "I want to pay my respects to...well, you could say my mentor, who passed away twelve years ago. I go by her grave every time I leave a business meeting, and I want to do it before the night ends."

I blinked. That...that was not what I was expecting.

"...Alright. And you are not at all afraid of going to a place like that alone at night?"

Lady Edna shrugged her shoulders.

"Why would I? What criminals hang out in cemeteries and even if they did, I have a pocketknife to protect myself. Nor do I fear the dark, so why be intimidated?"

A noblewoman willingly going off in the dark of night with a pocketknife in her procession, while also not being intimidated by the idea of being attacked...

"You are strange woman, you know that, right?" I commented. "I mean a _really_ strange woman!"

Lady Edna laughed.

"And yet you are a strange man yourself. But is a little strangeness really a bad thing?"

Maybe...it just depends on how far that strangeness goes.

We then walked in silence, me walking close to Lady Edna's side as she lead the way to the cemetery.

"So...who was this mentor of yours?" I eventually asked to start up a conversation. "Was she a family member, the previous head of your manor, or what?"

It took a second before Lady Edna replied, as if she was thinking carefully of what words to say and how to say them.

"...Her name was Nora Holloway, who like me, was a well known noble who held a respectable trading business. When I...first became the head of the Redwood business, she helped me become the woman I am today and I owe everything I have to her."

Her eyes grew dark, a strong sense of grief overflowing them.

"I go to her grave to remind myself my debt to her, that I will never be able to fully repay because she died long before I became as...successful as I am now. And in many ways, she was like a second mother to me."

"I...see."

I could sense that this was a sensitive topic for her, her soul seeming to ache just mentioning it. I too became cautious in my word choice, as I didn't want to upset her by accident.

"Well," I said, "I bet she is...very proud of you for how far you came."

Lady Edna gave a small smile.

"For some things yes, but others no. There are many things that I have done that Lady Holloway would disapprove off. It is hard to say what she would truly think of me. But I don't think pride would be one."

I gave a puzzled look.

"Why wouldn't she be at least a little proud?" I questioned. "I might have only known you for a short time, my lady, but I know that she should feel proud for _at least_ something! I mean..."

I began to list things from the top of my head.

"You are in charge of a successful business, you are extremely wealthy, you are respected by others and your servants, you are intelligent, you are unique, you are remarkably beautiful-"

My eyes widened. Shit...

At that last comment, Lady Edna stopped where she was and gave me a strange look. Quickly recovering, I gave an uneasy smile.

"Well, what I mean by that is that you are _very_ charming, my lady! You are very persuasive that you could drive any man wild...if you wanted to! Especially if you dressed in red, which would make you even _more_ beautiful...to any nobleman who you had your eye on...!"

I continued to ramble on and on, a big smile on my face as I tried to make up for my slip of tongue. Damn..._why_ do I always do the dumbest of things while I'm around her?!

"Sebastian."

Once she said my name, I immediately became silent.

"...Yes, my lady?" I replied, still smiling big.

Lady Edna met my gaze.

"It is alright. I take no offense to it," she said gently. "I understand what you are trying to do. Although..."

It was hard to tell, but I could have sworn a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"...I _do_ feel flattered by it."

Avoiding eye contact, she continued on her way. I walked silently beside her, it taking a moment to sink in what she said. Lost in our own thoughts, it did not take long for us to be at the front gates of the cemetery. Just like what we agreed, I allowed Lady Edna to go inside alone while I waited beside the front gate. I didn't like her going in to a creepy, dark, haunting place like this by herself, but I've already pushed things with her as it was. Leaning against the brick wall, I placed my hand over my forehead and groaned.

God, _why_ did I do that?! Oh look, a woman with pretty red hair, now lose all your common sense and be mesmerized by her beauty like a young lady would be mesmerized by a dark, handsome man! And _what_ was with me and that color anyway? _Why_ do I love that color so much, _why_ does every time I see something with that color I automatically think of it as beautiful, _why_ do I feel so attached to this red coat I always long to wear? Why, why, _why_?!

"He he he, this is _sure_ an unusual sight!"

Removing my hand from my face, I glanced over to see someone leaving the gates of the cemetery. Carrying a shovel, a man who wore all black approached me, his long silver hair covering most of his scarred face. Upon seeing him, I could feel my head start to ache again.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, young one?" the old man asked with a large grin. "It is a bit unusual to be out here this late at night."

"I'm waiting for someone to finish paying her respects," I replied slowly. "And...who exactly are you to be asking these questions?"

The dark man gave a creepy chuckle. For some reason, hearing him laugh like that sent chills down my spine.

"He he he! Why, I am an undertaker!" the mysterious man finally answered. "This is my cemetery and I'm just now on my way home after a long day of work."

He moved closer to me, to the point I could feel his hot breath hit my face.

"So...how long do you plan on staying out here? Are you waiting for something to happen, if I may ask?"

"Uh, yeah, my mistress coming back from visiting her friend's grave."

Annoyed, I pushed the mortician away from me. I studied him for a moment, and the more I looked at this man, the more I felt that I _did_ know him.

"Look, I know you are probably busy and all," I said, even though a part of me _really_ did not want to speak another word to this crazy old man, "but can I ask you something?"

Undertaker's smile dropped to a frown, giving a curious expression.

"If you want. What do you wish to ask me?"

I took in a deep breath of air.

"...About a month ago, I was found by my current employer on her property gravely injured, and when I woke up, I had lost all of my memories. While I have physically recovered, I am slowly trying to remember who I was. And I can't help but feel I've met you once before."

I sighed.

"So, do I at all look familiar to you, and if I do, can you help me find out who I was?"

There was a long silence, Undertaker taking the time to study me carefully. Or at least I _think_ he was, seeing as I couldn't see his eyes behind his overly long bangs. Eventually, a large smile made its way to his face.

"He he! So _that_ explains it!"

He giggled softly.

"I'm sorry, my friend, but you must be mistaking me for someone else. Rarely do I work with the living or take the time to get to know them..."

He turned his back towards me.

"However, I _do_ have some advice for you," he said, giving me one last look. "Even if you do find out who you were before, you will never fully recover to the person who you once were. Already, your mind and spirit have begun to change to form a different persona, so even if you reclaim your memory, you can never go back to being the same person. If I were you, I would not even try to recover the past and only look towards the future. With your memory gone, _this_ is the time to start a new life for yourself."

He smiled.

"Also, be weary of the men with the same eyes as yours. They will only bring you sorrow and imprisonment if you allow one of them to find you."

And with that, he walked away.

"...Wait, men with eyes just like mine?" I called out. "_What_ are you talking about?!"

I was about to chase after him, for he seemed to know more than he let on, but I stopped myself as I saw Lady Edna coming out of the cemetery.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" she asked. "You look like you are about to chase someone."

"I..."

I glanced back in the direction Undertaker walked off to. There were barely any lanterns down the road, making the area pitch black and literally impossible for me to try to find him. Damn, someone who may have been from my past he just disappeared!

"...It's nothing," I finally said out loud. "I just thought I saw someone. False alarm."

I picked my bag up and walked up to Lady Edna's side.

"Are you ready to return to the townhouse, my lady?" I asked.

Lady Edna nodded.

"Yes. I look forward to a peaceful night."

We began our way back to the townhouse.

"However, Sebastian, I request something from you," Lady Edna mentioned unexpectedly. "And that is when we are alone like this, I would prefer if you just refer to me by name alone, no formalities attached."

My eyes widened. Wait _what_?

"Uh...if you want me to," I answered, slightly shocked. "But...is that a good idea? I mean, I have nothing against it personally, but for a servant to address his mistress so causally..."

"In the public's eye, yes it would be improper," she responded firmly. "Even in front of the other servants, it would be looked down on. But when it is just you and me, alone like this...there is no one to chastise us."

She looked up at me.

"Besides, you are the first person in a long time I feel that I can get close to. So unless you are not comfortable with it...please just call me by my name."

She looked deeply into my eyes, a look of hope glowing her gaze.

I had a feeling that something _bad_ was going to happen if I got too close to her, that I should do my best to keep some boundary between us. But...my heart told otherwise, and against my better judgment, I met her eyes and smiled.

"If that is what you wish."

She smiled. "Thank you, Sebastian."

"You are welcome...Edna."


	9. A Familiar Hatred

Like Edna predicted, Daniel was furious when we eventually arrived back at the townhouse, Christine being extremely worried as well. He chewed us out, me in particular, that it was improper for us to be out so late at night and that he was close to calling a search party. Edna, calmly and without raising her voice, explained to him that I was having a severe headache and we weren't able to get back until now. She left out any mentions of our trip to the cemetery, but I decided to just let her do all the talking. Eventually, Daniel let out a heavy sigh and dropped the subject, advising all of us to retire for the night. Edna agreed and went upstairs, Christine following to help her undress, and before I could retire myself, Daniel stopped me.

"Sebastian, we need to talk, now that Lady Edna has gone off to bed."

I met his gaze and crossed my arms.

"Look, what our lady said was true. I got a really bad headache and she did what she could to help it. I apologize for keeping her out so late, but there was little I could do about it."

My voice came out harsher then I intended it to be, but I refused to make up for it. Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"...You seem to get these headaches often," he said. "Do you wish to see a doctor about it? We can't have it affect the safety of our lady."

I clutched onto the handle of my bag very tightly, to the point I could feel my fingernails poke into my skin.

"Even if I were to see a doctor, what good would it do?" I snapped. "Medicine can only do so much for the head injuries I had. And it isn't like they are going to vanish just because I'm taking something for them."

I turned my back on him, walking away slowly just so I don't lose control over my anger.

"...I can see you are still mad about earlier," Daniel said quietly. "You are not good at hiding your emotions."

I stopped in my tracks. There was a short silence, as I took the time to come up with a reply.

"...Tell me, Daniel, why do you hate me?"

I slowly turned to face him.

"Since we've met, you've never been too fond of me, always giving me strange looks and making certain comments."

I narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not an idiot, and it won't be long before Lady Edna and the others notice. And the last thing our dear lady needs is for her servants to be at each others' throats."

It took a moment before Denial replied.

"...You would not understand," he finally said coldly. "And even if you could, it would change nothing."

He reluctantly made eye contact with me.

"Perhaps I am in the wrong, as you have been through much with your memory loss. But the more you seem to heal, the more you become _everything_ that I despise. And I cannot help the prejudice I feel."

I approached him.

"So, explain it to me," I replied without removing eye contact. "Keeping your emotions boiling inside is only going to prolong this conflict."

I glanced around the dimly lit room.

"It is just the two of us at the moment. What better time to settle things then now?"

Daniel's muscles tensed up slightly. Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps away from me, making sure there was a _good_ distance between us.

"Very well. As butler, it is my duty to make sure there is peace for Lady Edna, whether it is at the manor or here at the townhouse."

There was a small pause. Whatever was on Daniel's mind, it has been there for a long time. I admit, though I was still furious about earlier, I was slightly curious about what is making his soul so tensed and defensive. Perhaps even fearful?

"Before I begin to explain, I implore you to hear me out completely before you come up with any conclusion," he said. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to explain this, but apparently I have little choice seeing how things are going..."

Daniel cleared his throat as he prepared to tell his story.

"As a boy, I grew up in a very religious background. Both of my parents were very active in the church and held its teachings very highly. Naturally, they taught me and my brothers everything there was to teach about the Bible and the word of God, trying to pass down their unbreakable faith down to us."

I raised an eyebrow.

"So...you're a very religious person?"

Can't say I'm surprised there, seeing how uptight he was.

"I'm not as zealous as my parents, or even some of my brothers," Daniel answered honestly, "but yes, I do highly uphold my faith. However, my reasons for being...cold to you is much more complex than just religious beliefs."

He continued.

"With that said, you can imagine my religious tolerance as a younger man was not very good, especially when it comes to having a lifestyle that is against it..."

There was another small pause, and at this point, I wondered if he just liked to draw out his sentences for dramatic purposes.

"...While I was in school, I had a classmate who had one of these..._different_ lifestyles. He, and I'll put this bluntly, was a homosexual and was unfortunate to have feelings for me. In many ways, he was very similar to you. Flamboyant, extremely opened minded, and could be flirty if he could get away with it. I was extremely disgusted with him, and my hatred for him grew once his feelings for me became more obvious. And he was persistent too, doing all he could to make me love him while I did all I could to get away from him. However, the moment we graduated from school we went our separate ways and I haven't heard from him since. At least he _had_ the decency not to stalk me. But my experience of him not only tightened my distaste for..._that_ horrid lifestyle, but made me feel somewhat paranoid that another man could be attracted to me."

He met my gaze.

"As I mentioned before, you remind me so much of that boy I knew, and while I tried to keep my personal feelings out of my job, it is hard for me to do so. Do I hate you personally? No, but I do feel defensive to a certain degree, in case you were to have..._that_ same lifestyle."

I blinked, the anger I once felt slowly fading away. The disgusted look Daniel had when he mentioned that boy he knew, it was a look that I felt I knew far too well.

Was I too, a homosexual? I admit, I had felt some attraction towards Daniel, with his pure black hair, pale skin, and capturing dark brown eyes... But my attraction to him has never felt as strong as the attraction I felt for Edna, a woman who every time I saw I couldn't think straight. Was it possible that I was, and perhaps still am, attracted to _both_ men and women? In truth, I felt more confused at the moment than anything else.

"...While I will admit, I do see you as a handsome man, Daniel," I finally said, saying what I truly felt, "you would not be someone I would personally go after. You are just too boring for me, so why bother?"

I gave a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood, though Daniel's stiff facial expression did not change. In fact, he seemed to have stiffen _more_ from my comment. Awkwardly, I glanced over towards the nearby window, staring into the darkness.

"...It is possible that maybe I did find men attractive before I lost my memory, judging how I had looked before," I continued, "but as of right now, I am not sure. There are still so many things about myself that I don't understand and I'm still trying to figure it out."

I turned to face him again.

"I can respect your feelings towards the subject, however I do _not_ appreciate being insulted about it like you did today at the store. Don't insult me and I won't offend you."

Daniel nodded.

"Fair enough. Now that is settled, if you would excuse me."

He then turned his back on me and went down to where his bedroom was. Letting out a tired sigh, I went to my bedroom as well, feeling like I was going to drop dead at any second.

_What_ a night it has been!


	10. Mysteries of a Lord and Lady

"Ah, so you all have returned," Jasper said, putting down his gardening tools as Daniel parked the carriage in front of the Redwood Manor. "And good timing too, since a guest had just arrived."

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"'Guest?' What guest?"

Getting out of the passenger's seat, I opened the door of the carriage for Edna and Christine.

"Well, about twenty minutes ago, a man came by on horseback and requested to see you, Lady Edna," Jasper explained. "I have no idea who this man is, but he seemed well enough, judging by the way he was dressed. Very tidy too, which I was pleased to see, except that inappropriate, _disgusting_ long hair..."

He began to ramble to himself. Edna crossed her arms.

"Jasper, where is this man?" she asked. "Did you catch his name?"

"Unfortunately, I could not get a name from him, he refused to tell me," Jasper answered. "He was also very persistent to see you, my lady."

He sighed.

"I really didn't have a choice but to take him to the manor and have Martha take care of him. I did not want to make it look like you were not a hospitable. I hope you can understand that."

Edna gave a small nod.

"I see. You did well, Jasper. I shall go see who this man is. Sebastian, Christine, accompany me."

She then started to make her way towards the manor. Having an uneasy feeling in my stomach, I was close behind her with Christine, while Daniel and Jasper took care of the carriage.

"Are you sure you should see this man, my lady?" I questioned softly to where only Edna could hear me. "Doesn't this...seem a little suspicious to you?"

"It does, but I have no choice, since he is already in the manor," Edna replied, her dark eyes staring straight in front of her. "From what Jasper described, this man may be a fellow nobleman or businessman. I can't afford anything to dampen my reputation."

A small smile formed on her red lips.

"Besides, if anything were to go wrong, I know you would protect me."

"I..."

I stuttered a little.

"...I will do whatever I can."

Edna chuckled softly in reply. Soon enough, we arrived inside the manor, me closing the door behind us.

"Martha, I have returned," Edna called out.

A minute past before Martha came down the hallway, mix emotions of relief and uncertainty glowing on her face.

"My lady, I'm so glad you have returned safely," she said with a small bow. "You too, Christine and Sebastian."

She made eye contact with Edna.

"Did you run into Jasper when you arrived? Did he tell you about...about our _guest_?"

"Yes, and I would like to see him."

Martha nodded.

"Right this way, my lady. He is in the lounge now."

She turned around to go back to the lounge. Edna soon followed, however she looked back at me and Christine, signaling me to come with her but not Christine. Christine gave an uneasy look, but obeyed without a word, heading back outside to help Daniel bring in our luggage. With me at my lady's side, we slowly came to the lounge.

Inside, I could see that the man was sitting in a chair, his back toward us. I saw there was a tea cup by his side, as he elegantly took a hold of it and slowly brought it up to his lips.

"Lord Black, Lady Redwood has now returned from her trip to London," Martha announced as she approached the man's side. "She is now here to see you."

The man, apparently named Lord Black, an awfully _dull_ name, sat his tea cup back on the small table.

"Excellent."

Getting up from his chair, he moved past Martha and came face to face with Edna and I. Lord Black was a very tall man, wearing a nice black suit and tie with a dark, newly worn top hat. He had very pale skin and long black hair that was tied back, with spectacles in a similar style like mine, only thinner and a dark brown color that protected his bright hazel eyes.

Our eyes met for a second, and I felt my body turn to ice. Damn..._damn_ does he look amazing! But...his looks were not what was making my body tense up so much. I could not understand why, but all I wanted to do was to get Edna away from that man. I felt that she was in danger, that _I_ was in danger.

Ugh...I could feel an _extremely_ painful headache coming on...

"I am honored to finally meet you, dear Lady Redwood," Lord Black finally said, his voice having a thick accent to it. "I hope I'm not intruding on you, as I had no idea you were not present at the time."

"...It is fine," Edna replied, her expression unreadable, "you had no way of knowing."

She walked closer to him and it took all of my self-control not to grab her wrist and pull her back. This guy was bad news, I could feel it deep down...even if he was _very_ good looking...

"However, I would like to know why you are here and came without any notification," Edna continued. "It is a bit impolite to just show up like this."

Lord Black smiled.

"Indeed it is...and I apologize for it. But I do have my reasons to show up as I did."

He cleared his throat.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lord Meriwether Black. I am a lord from Scotland and a distant relative to the late Lady Nora Holloway."

At the mention of Lady Holloway's name, both Edna and Martha froze, their eyes wide for a split second. I could sense a feel of panic coming from both of their souls, tensing up like someone accused them of a horrid crime. I blinked, slightly puzzled by this reaction, and even more so, that a relative of Edna's mentor was here at her manor. Edna regained her composure.

"Oh...you are?" she asked. "That is...unexpected. I didn't know Lady Holloway had any living relatives..."

Lord Black smiled.

"Like I said, I am a distant one and I've only found out about her recently. I just came to Britain not long ago, and was very surprised to see that a new noble, one that isn't related to her by blood, now occupies her manor and wealth."

Wait...what?

I looked over at Edna, seeing if I could see a reaction for her. And while her outward appearance was stiff and calm, her soul seemed to be panicking from within. Even Martha seemed slightly fearful.

"I-I was a close friend to Lady Holloway before she died," Edna finally answered. "She had no living heirs to give her fortune to, so she gave it me as I was like a daughter to her."

Lord Black's eyes glowed slightly.

"Ah, I see. That would explain it. At least it did not go to waste."

A smile slithered its way to his thin lips.

"I again apologize for my rudeness. I hope you do forgive me for it, as I was alarmed at first to see my long-lost family member's estate in someone else's hands."

There was a short pause.

"...No, it is alright, Lord Black," Edna said. "And I am sure we have a lot to discuss..."

Lord Black took a gentle hold of Edna's hand. My eyebrows rose up.

"Please, just call me Meriwether, as I tire of such form titles all the time."

He gave a brief kiss on her hand, and then meeting her gaze.

"You understand that, don't you?"

Edna blushed slightly.

"I...yes, I understand perfectly."

She cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. I clutched my fists.

How..._how_ dare he...!

"Oh, what is this," Lord Black said, looking as if he just _now_ noticed me. "Is this one of your servants, my lady? I never noticed he was there."

How could you _not_ notice me, wearing this bright red coat?! And we made eye contact earlier! What is this handsome man playing at!?

"I am one of Lady Edna's butlers," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "My name is Sebastian."

Lord Black smiled, his eyes looking deeply into mine.

"A pleasure to meet you."

I narrowed my eyes, noticing he _still_ had a hold of Edna's hand.

"Likewise."

Edna cleared her throat.

"Well...let's go to my study so we can discuss the issue privately, Meriwether."

She freed her hand from his grip and started to head out of the lounge.

"Would like me to escort you and Lord Black, my lady?" I quickly asked.

Edna shook her head.

"It is not necessary, Sebastian. But thank you."

She then left the room, Lord Black behind her. He walked right passed me, our eyes meeting for the third time. And in his eyes, I could have sworn I saw a great evil in them.

Similar to what happened in London, my headache's pain grew unbearable as I placed my hand over my forehead, my body feeling like something was cutting into me, like a sharp, uneven blade...

"Sebastian, are you feeling alright?" I faintly heard Martha's voice. "Sebastian?"

"I...yes, I'm fine."

Resisting the pain my body and head felt, I turned my back towards Martha.

"I...need to lie down for a moment," I explained with an uneven smile. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Without waiting for a reply, I walked as fast as I could to my bedroom, without causing too much attention to myself. Once I was completely alone, I fell face first onto my bed, my world fading to the dull black I hate as the pain became too much.

* * *

It was hard to tell how long I laid asleep, but it felt like an eternity when the pain finally faded away.

Ugh...it felt like these headaches get worse every other time I have them.

I slowly opened my eyes, my vision unclear as my specs had smudge marks on lenses. I groaned, taking off my specs and slowly sat up. Damn...my head still ached slightly. Walking over to my dresser, I grabbed a cloth and cleaned up my specs. Once I put them back on, from the mirror, I could see that a small cup of tea laid on my nightstand. ..._Where_ did that come from?

Hearing my door open a tiny bit, I quickly turned around to see Martha taking a peak inside.

"You're awake. I'm glad to see that."

She gave a small smile.

"May I come in, Sebastian? I would like to examine your head, if you don't mind."

"...Sure. I guess."

I walked over towards the door and opened it wider for her to enter. Martha stepped inside, carrying with her a small, simple medical kit.

"I was very concerned with the way you ran off to your room like that," she said as she sat the kit on my dresser. "And when I heard the comment from Daniel that you have had severe headaches before, my concern deepened."

She looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Have you drank that tea I left out for you? It is a special herbal tea that is supposed to help with headaches."

"I've only just woken up," I replied, sitting down on my bed. "And I'm sorry I had worried you or any of the others."

I took a drink of the tea. My eyes widened, as the cool liquid had a strong, bitter taste to it. But it was not unbearable, so I took continuous small sips.

"I forgive you, however it is not good to keep medical issues like that a secret, especially with the head injuries you had received barely a month ago."

She sighed.

"Keeping all your pain inside in order to make yourself look strong, you are just like Lady Edna in that way."

Grabbing what she needed from the medical kit, Martha sat right next to me and examined my head.

"It would see you've known our lady quite a long time, from the way you said that," I commented.

Martha nodded.

"I have. I've known her since she was eighteen, seeing her become the woman that she is today. She has had a tough life, and no matter how hard she struggles, she will never show any weakness if she can help it."

"...I see."

I glanced up at the elder maid.

"Tell me, if you've known Lady Edna for this long, then does that mean you knew Lady Holloway as well?"

There was a long silence, Martha pausing in her movements.

"...I suppose you would be puzzled by what Lord Black had said," she said, continuing to examine my head. "What he said is true, that this manor was indeed the late Lady Holloway's. When she passed away, it was meant to be put for sale since there was no direct heir to her legacy. That was, until it was revealed that in her will, Lady Edna Redwood was to inherit it, being the closest thing Lady Holloway had to family."

"So...not only is our lady the head of her own family's fortunes, but Lady Holloway's as well? Is it possible to be the head of two different families?"

There was a short pause. I could sense the hesitation coming from Martha, making my curiosity grow more and more.

"...I would advise you not to continue questioning this sort of thing, Sebastian," Martha finally said, her voice flat and stern. "You are a servant, and these matters do not concern you. Please, keep quiet about it and just allow our lady to handle the situation."

Now _there_ is an interesting response...

Judging by the way Martha had coldly responded, I decided to drop the subject, at least for now. A few minutes of silence passed, till Martha had finally finished checking my old head injuries. When she was done, she stood back up and put away all of her medical supplies.

"Well, it would seem that your external injuries have healed perfectly," Martha said. "And from what I could tell, I couldn't feel any internal cracking in the skull or something like it."

Once her things were back inside the kit, she turned to face me.

"I'm not a doctor, but I would guess that your headaches are just a way of your memory returning. Have you remembered anything during those headaches or have tried to remember something when they happen?"

Carefully, I explained all of my past experiences with my headaches. Though I left out some details, like how familiar Edna looked to me when I first met her, the red tint I had once seen in Daniel's eyes, the evil look in Lord Black's bright gaze, and my accounter with Undertaker. Things like that...I wanted to make sure stay to myself, as they were things I needed to figure out on my own. When I had finished, Martha gave a small nod, her expression deep in thought.

"I see... Well, it would seem they are very unpredictable, but at least they show that you may indeed eventually get your memory back."

She studied me for a moment.

"Have you considered, or have you already, seen a professional doctor about them?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Daniel suggested that back in London, but I told him it would do little good. It's not like a doctor could 'magically' heal internal injuries, specifically mental ones."

I avoided eye contact, hearing a soft sigh come from Martha.

"I cannot force you, but if they do get worse to the point where Lady Edna gets worried about your health, she _will_ force you to go see one. She cares about you, as do the rest of us."

She then made her way to the door.

"Just remember if you start to feel like one of your headaches are about to happen, let one us know so that we can give you that tea to help soothe it. Take it easy, Sebastian."

And with that said, she left the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts.


	11. Seeing Red

Out of all the people who work in this manor, why does it have to be _me_ who has to do this?! With anger building up inside me, I stomp up the stairs to the second floor of the manor, carrying with me a delicate tea set.

Yesterday, after a long afternoon discussing the situation about ownership of the manor, Edna had told us servants that until things were settled, Lord Black was to stay here as a special guest. When I found out, I was furious beyond reason. Really, now I have to _serve_ this jerk with humble care and politeness?! True, he was a _handsome_ jerk that was nice to look at, but still aggravating nevertheless! Not only that...but that would mean dear Edna would have to spend more of her time with that man, alone.

I clutched onto the tray I was carrying tightly. And _of course_ the man would want to have some early morning tea alone in his room, and Daniel _had_ to make me be the one who delivers it to him! Couldn't Christine or Martha do this just as easily, or even Daniel himself? I growled inwardly. Whatever, I'll just present him the tea and then be done with it. The sooner I'm away from him, the less angry I will feel.

Walking down the hallway where the guest rooms were, I soon came to the room Lord Black was staying at. I was about to knock on the door when I heard Lord Black's voice come from the other side.

"You may come in, Sebastian."

I blinked, me standing where I was for a few seconds. How...how did he know I was here before I knocked?

Without verbally questioning it, I carefully opened the door and entered the room. Sitting beside a small coffee table, the well dressed Lord Black sat reading a book.

"Please set it right next to me on the table," he said without even looking at me. "Dear Lady Redwood told me you are an excellent tea maker, so I look forward to trying it."

"Did she now?"

I sat the tea set down.

"I am honored by this praise," I continued, fake politeness coming in through my pointed teeth as I poured him a cup of tea. "But I'm afraid I did not make this particular batch, Daniel did."

"Ah, I see. What a pity."

Once the cup was filled, Lord Black sat his book down in his lap and took a small sip of it. He gave a small smile.

"However, this is just as good."

He took another sip of it. I took in a small breath of air.

"Is there anything else you require, Lord Black?"

His smile grew slightly.

"You can stop acting so polite to me. I can tell you are faking it."

His bright hazel eyes met my bright yellow-green ones.

"It is obvious you are not fond of me, Mr. Sebastian," Lord Black said. "Especially when I showed my respects to your dear Lady Redwood."

I clutched my fists.

"Just what are you saying?" I asked, no longer trying to hold back my anger. "What you did was completely inappropriate!"

Lord Black laughed softly, a deep chuckle that made a chill go down my spine. Somehow, I found that a bit of a turn on, but given who this guy was...

"Is it now? Even for a...servant like you must know a small kiss on a lady's hand is natural," Lord Black said, sounding slightly amused. "Any gentleman of my status would do the same, as they are on equal terms with your young lady. Who is unmarried as well."

I narrowed my eyes. I was about to make a sharp reply but Lord Black cut me off before I had the chance to speak.

"You _really_ must learn how to control your emotions, as not all men are forgiving as I am. If this was another nobleman, you being a mere servant would have been taught a lesson right now as we speak. For a servant to fall in love with his mistress is a complete disgrace."

"W-_what_?!"

I took a step back, my eyes wide as my spectacles fell down my nose just a tad.

"I...you think I am _in_ _love_ with Lady Edna?! That...that is ridiculous! I would never..."

I could feel my heart go a hundred miles an hour, feeling as if my red blood was turning cold within my veins. Lord Black still kept eye contact with me, his gaze filled with cold amusement.

"You may not be in love with her yet, but you are very close to doing so."

He smiled sweetly at me.

"When I first saw you enter the room with Lady Redwood I could see a deep admiration in your eyes for her, an affectionate look that people only give when they truly care for someone. Not to mention the jealousy that appeared in them when I kissed her hand, how stiff your body became and the cold glares you gave me..."

He gave a small laugh.

"It is amusing to see how blind you are about your own feelings towards your mistress and how, _miraculously_, she has not noticed it."

He finished off his cup of tea.

"Or perhaps she _has_ noticed and is playing with your emotions as the true superior she is..."

"Are you saying that it is _fun_ to be playing with people?!"

I glared at him.

"To play with people's souls is just cruel and wicked. And for you to say Lady Edna would do such a thing is unforgivable! She is too kind in spirit to do something like that on purpose, and it is _disgusting_ to see that you actually find that enjoyable and entertaining!"

There was a short silence, Lord Black and I glaring each other down. Lord Black's mouth twitched slightly, till unexpectedly, he got into a small laughing fit.

"What is _so_ bloody funny?!" I demanded, my rage building up more and more.

Lord Black regained his composure just as quickly as he lost it. He studied me for a moment before he responded, his eyes glowing as he did.

"Aha ha...It would seem that I am going to have _much_ more fun than I had expected."

He met my gaze and smiled.

"Let me give you some advise, Sebastian," Lord Black said, a slight dark tone to his voice. "Valuing human life is a foolish thing to do. No matter how much a human tries to cover it up with status, power, or with gentle and caring nature, all humans have the same selfish, dark desires within them. They are all cruel in their own way. And for a..._person_ like yourself to get attached to humans as you have...well, it will only end up breaking you."

Pouring himself another cup of tea, he reopened his book and started reading again.

"One last thing before you go, Sebastian, and that is you must accept the fact that your lady will not stay pure forever. As an aristocrat, she will be married to another nobleman eventually, whether it is myself or another. The sooner you can accept it, the easier it will be on your 'heart.'"

And with that, he got himself lost in his book and ignored me completely. I then left the room without a reply, slamming the door behind me. I stood there for a long moment, Lord Black's words repeating over and over again. That man, if he could be called such...

They way he spoke about humans, from the way his cold voice carried, it sound liked he didn't think of himself as a human being. There really...there really was something wrong with the man! I don't care if there was a property issue with him, Lord Black _has to_ leave the manor! I don't care if I was feeling rash or out of line, I can't let him be near Edna and the others any longer! I need to find Edna, warn her that Lord Black is dangerous and-

"Ah, Sebastian! There you are!"

As I was running out of the hallway and towards the stairway, I saw Lady Edna coming down from her private hall. She smiled at me, coming towards me wearing a beautiful red dress, one that matched her hair perfectly.

"Uh...Lady Edna," I said, staring intensely at her red beauty. "I...that is a pretty dress you're wearing."

Wow, did I _really_ just say that?

Edna smiled, her face seeming to glow from my complement.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I was hoping you would like it."

"...You were?"

Edna nodded.

"Of course. _You_ were the one who suggested I should wear red more often, so I thought I would give it a try."

"I..."

I was stunned. The fact that she even remembered me saying that little screw up and actually took it to mind made my heart beat grow faster.

"...I'm glad I was able to help, my lady."

Edna gave a soft laugh.

"Aw, did I make you feel flustered, Sebastian?"

My face grew hot. ..._Shit_, am I _really_ that bad at covering my emotions?!

"While I do find it adorable, I do apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable," Edna continued, her tone turning more serious. She cleared her throat. "I...since it was such a lovely morning, perfect for end of spring weather, I was going to take a walk around the grounds, and I wanted...you to accompany me as I do so."

As she spoke, there was a sense of nervousness in her posture, a small hint of hesitation in her speech. I found it quite odd how she went from cheerful and confident to nervous and hesitant in a few mere moments.

_"Or perhaps she has noticed and is playing with your emotions as the true superior she is. All humans have the same selfish, dark desires within them."_

I smiled, forcing Lord Black's voice towards the back of my mind.

"Of course, my lady. I will be more than happy to join you."

Edna's eyes widened, her brown eyes staring into mine for a split second. A small smile made its way to her lips.

"...Good. Now let's be off."

Offering her my arm, Edna and I walked down the stairs side by side. We left the manor by the front entrance, taking a small dirt path off the main pathway which led around the grounds. As we walked, just the two of us completely alone, I felt Edna press herself as close as she could to me. She gently rested her head against my shoulder, closing her eyes with a large smile on her face. I admit, I really enjoyed having her this close by my side. However, a small part of me found it odd that I held a woman instead of _me_ being held by another man.

...What a way to kill the moment, but that feeling was there and it was hard to fully ignore.

"You are right, my lady," I said softly, hoping to distract my conflicting mind with conversation. "This is perfect weather for a morning walk."

Edna opened one eye and looked up at me.

"Remember what I told you back in London? If it is just you and me, you are allowed to just call me Edna."

I gave a sheepish smile.

"Yes...sorry, it is a bit of a habit. I'm trying, I promise."

She smiled.

"It's alright. Though to be fair, it would be better if you are in more of habit of calling me 'my lady' then 'Edna' in case you slip up in public."

She closed her eyes again and sighed softly.

"However...I wish it weren't like that."

There was a short silence, as I did not want to disturb this perfect, quiet moment between us. But eventually, my mind woke out of its dreamy daze and remembered Lord Black, and now that Edna and I were alone, this would be a perfect time to bring it up.

"Edna, if you may, I would like to say a few words about our 'dear friend' Lord Black."

From the serious tone in my voice, Edna lifted up her head and blinked.

"What about him? Is something wrong?"

I sighed, taking a moment to put my thoughts together.

"...I do not think it is a good idea for him to stay with us," I finally explained. "There...there is just something wrong with the man and I fear he may come to hurt you. He...he seems to be up to something."

It took a moment for Edna to reply, her eyes now drifting to the ground.

"...While I do agree with you that I feel uncomfortable around him, there is really little I can do about it," she replied. "As of right now, Meriwether is technically in the right of owning this manor with his relations to Lady Holloway. Until we have come up with a legal solution to the situation, or there is proof that disclaims Meriwether as a relative of Lady Holloway, I have little choice but to negotiate with him."

"But if you were given this land by Lady Holloway herself," I added in, "shouldn't that mean you own this land without question?"

Edna shook her head.

"If only it were that simple, Sebastian. Bloodlines are _very_ influential in the noble world. In truth, his name and connection to the Holloway family is even more powerful than the money I process. Thus, giving him the bigger influence."

Her expression turned grim.

"In all likelihood, I will lose my rights to keep the manor. And though Lord Black is unusual, he does not seem unreasonable. There might be a way for me to keep my hold of the manor, if we decide to..."

She lost her words. I raised an eyebrow, a feeling of dread coming over me.

"Decide to what?"

There was no immediate response. Edna made eye contact with me, where I could see many emotions running within her.

It would seem that not only had Lord Black tried to play tricks with my mind, but Edna's as well. That bastard... With Edna powerless to do much, it would be up to me to protect her and the others. And if Lord Black even dared to try to harm anyone of us, well...

Wouldn't he look a lot prettier if his dark clothes were stained in red?


	12. Blood Stained Pasts

Though I would give _anything_ to have Lord Black out of the manor at this very moment, I would not be able to lay a finger on him until I found a way to disprove his claims to the manor. Which meant I needed to focus my attention on getting more information about the Holloway family. However, there would be a lot of complications. I couldn't go directly to Edna for information in case she or Lord Black got suspicious as to what I was trying to do, same with Martha. So I had to see if I could get anything from the others, hoping they would at _least_ know who Lady Holloway was.

The next morning, as I prepared to start my morning duties, I saw Christine in the library dusting. I stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Christine," I said with a smile.

She turned to look at me.

"Good morning, Sebastian. How are you feeling today?"

"Great, got a lot of good sleep last night."

Christine smiled.

"I'm glad to hear! When I've heard you been getting those awful headaches, I was really worried about you. I'm very relieved to hear you are feeling better."

She continued to dust.

"A lot has happened since we've come back from London. It is nice to have a calmer morning, making it almost seem like everything is normal."

I leaned against one of the bookshelves.

"I agree," I replied. "Lord Black really has really changed the atmosphere here since he unexpectedly arrived. Along with the shocking news of this manor being the late Lady Holloway's."

It took a moment for Christine to reply.

"Yes...that was shocking to hear. And now Lady Edna's reputation and fortune is on the line because of that man..."

I nodded.

"That would be the case...however I don't trust this Lord Black. I mean, he just shows up out of nowhere and just claims to have relations to Lady Holloway without any proof to it! I don't think anyone can just storm up towards an aristocrat's estate and just claim to be the rightful owner."

"Yes, but if he really is who he says he is, then there is nothing we can do about it," Christine said sadly. "We just have to hope for the best."

Hope for the best? Like hope can do much.

"...Well, it was nice talking to you, Christine," I said, "but I really need to get working before Danny gets mad at me for slacking off...again."

Christine giggled.

"Alright. And I don't want to be the one who gets you into trouble."

A small blush made its way to her cheeks.

"...Sebastian, do you think Daniel would get mad at me if I started calling him Danny too? I know he hates it when you do it, but it is such a cute nickname..."

I smiled.

"I don't think he will object to it too much if you called him that. After all, there is a _big_ difference between you giving him a nickname and me giving him one."

I winked at her.

"I wish you luck getting close to him!"

With Christine's blush gaining more color, I left the room to get start on my own work.

* * *

It wasn't till late afternoon when I was able to take a small break from my duties, as both Daniel and I had to be on our toes with Lord Black around. Though the lord mainly occupied himself in his room, we had to make sure _everything_ was perfect if he randomly decided to take a walk around the manor or something. It made me angry that we had to do all this work for him, the bastard who would probably be better off _dead_ than alive...

It may be horrible of me to wish death upon Lord Black, but it was something I could not help but feel. Even if my ideas of a death for him were a bit..._graphic_, graphic enough to even disturb myself a little.

Shaking my head to get Lord Black out of my thoughts, I made my way to the kitchen to get something to drink. There, I saw Simon beginning to prepare tonight's dinner while Jasper, covered in sweat, sat in a chair drinking some water. Jasper saw me come in from the corner of his eye.

"Hello, Sebastian," he said, sounding exhausted. "Did you need something?"

Hearing Jasper say my name, Simon turned his gaze towards me.

"Just getting something to drink, " I replied, grabbing myself a cup from a nearby cabinet. "This is the first break I've had all day, so I'm extremely thirsty."

Jasper nodded.

"Same here. I've been working outside all day and I've only now just came in."

"And that's only because I forced you to come in," Simon added in. "You obsess over that guardian to the point of overheating yourself."

He grabbed a cutting knife and began to cut some vegetables.

"Summer is almost here, Jasper. You can't allow yourself to forget like that."

Jasper growled slightly.

"I'm sorry, though I need to make sure the garden looks its best in case Lord Black decides to see it."

He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Bloody bastard...thinks he can just waltz in here and take away Lady Edna's home like this. If I had known who he was...I would have _never_ had allowed him to come within these walls!"

I looked over at him.

"I take it you don't like him too well?" I asked.

Jasper gave a soft laugh.

"_Who_ here does? I've only seen the man a couple of times, but I can tell just how he presents himself that he is up to no good! And to have a claim like that...doesn't that make him seem suspicious, after what supposedly happened here?"

'Supposedly happened?'

"It does seem strange that he wants this manor," Simon replied casually. "I remember it being a shock when Lady Edna first claimed it herself; after all, there was huge talk of burning the place since no one in their right mind would want to live here after the murders."

"Wait, _murders_?!"

I gave both Simon and Jasper confused and alarmed looks.

"Uh...care to explain what you mean by that?"

Jasper and Simon stared at me for a few seconds.

"...That's right, you wouldn't know since you had your memory loss," Simon finally said. "And I sometimes forget that even though it was big news in London at the time, not too many places outside know about it."

He cleared his throat.

"Twelve years ago, Lady Holloway and her servants were all murdered inside the manor. It was a gory mess, the whole interior from the walls to the ceilings covered in blood, while the exterior was perfectly clean and untouched. It was like a demon of some kind just swept inside the manor, destroying everything in its path without having to break in. When the two surviving maids, who were out of the manor at the time of the murders, called for help from London, Scotland Yard did all they could to track down the murderers, as no one man could do this kind of damage by himself. But, as hard as they tried, they were never able to find the killer, which left the people here in the nearby countryside and London uneasy."

"I...see."

I paused.

"...And yet E-Lady Edna still accepted the manor, knowing about the murders?"

Simon nodded.

"She did, and I respect her for taking it with its dark history. Made it easier to settle in when I first came here, knowing that someone was confident that the past was the past and was moving on."

"It sure was," Jasper replied. "Then again, we were desperate for jobs, so there really wasn't any room to complain. Especially since these jobs were better then some of the gritter, _filthy_ ones back in the city."

He got up from his chair and got some more water from the sink.

"You know what's interesting, now that I think about it? The Holloway Murders remind me of those murders that happened in London not too long ago. You know, those Jack the Ripper prostitute killings?"

_Crash_!

My cup slipped through my grip as the name 'Jack the Ripper' went through my ears.

"...Sebastian?"

I could feel both Jasper and Simon's concerned looks. My head throbbed with an overwhelming pain. From that name, I could feel like my brain was desperately trying to recall a memory, or even memories, while also blocking it at the same time. I began to hear women screaming, flashes of red and tangled limbs, and a familiar voice in the back of it all.

_"'Jack the Ripper?' Such a savage...to call us... ...ungrateful whores, who can't understand how blessed they are to have... While my hatred is strong, it does not... You would not understand my struggle. Your kind never..."_

"_Sebastian_!"

I felt Jasper hold me up, as apparently I was losing my balance. But with memory and reality merging together, it was hard to tell what was truly going on.

I no longer felt myself standing in the kitchen of the Redwood Manor, but now standing in the dark streets of London, my body soaked with bright red blood with blood smears on my glasses, blurring my vision. I could feel the heavy weight of the weapon I was carrying, it too drenched in blood; my hair sticky and tangled and the sides of my mouth aching with the large, _psychotic_ grin I had on my face.

_"A whore _beautifully_ covered in her own rich, red blood!" _a voice that was mine, and yet was not mine, exclaimed. _"I really am a 'butler' to _die_ for, aren't I, dear madam?"_

"Jasper, get Sebastian to his room," I faintly heard Simon say. "I'll get Martha and then start making that special tea for him."

"Right!"

With the vision of London slowly merging away, I could feel Jasper dragging me away…


	13. Red Madness

_In a dark, stormy night, a man forcefully pushed a prostitute to a chair, quickly tying her down to it before she had time to escape. She was scared for her life, shaking uncontrollably as she tried to scream through the cloth that muffled her. The man felt amused by her struggle, her fear giving him a twisted sense of pleasure. Going to the back of the room, the man grabbed a container of red paint. _

_Grinning, he turned back to the fearful woman. She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes staring into his yellow-green ones. Delicately taking off the cloth around her mouth, the man then took out the red paint and started to paint her lips, making them as rich and thick as blood. _

_The woman flinched at the touch of the brush, and feeling irritated, the man quickly took a hold of her jaw and brought her closer to him. The prostitute whimpered and the man glared down at her. Setting down the paint, he reached out to a case and grabbed a small cutting knife, bringing it slowly to her throat..._

* * *

...No, stop! You can't kill her!

I screamed that in my mind as I saw the man, who I witnessed through his own eyes, attempt to murder the prostitute. This had to stop! Why kill a whore, what could you possibly gain from it? This was wrong, this was wrong!

And yet...why do I deep down feel nothing towards it? Why do I feel that seeing a person _murdered_ as an everyday occurrence? Why does it seem _normal_ to me?! Why...

Wanting to wake from the nightmare, memory, whatever the hell it was, I forced myself to open my eyes and regain consciousness. I was laying on my back in my bed, the room being fairly dark as no sunlight coming from my window.

"Sebastian."

I felt my heart stop for a second as I looked over to see Edna sitting beside my bed, looking down at me worriedly.

"Edna?"

I tried to get up, however Edna immediately put her hand on my chest.

"Sebastian, you need to rest," she said, gently pushing me back. "You have only just recovered after being so dreadfully ill."

"'Ill?'"

I don't remember becoming sick. All I remembered was that Jasper mentioned the name 'Jack the Ripper' and I got an awful headache and then...

"Daniel told me that while you were in the kitchen with Jasper and Simon, you had some sort of mental breakdown and almost collapsed," Edna explained. "Martha was able to give you some medication to help, but you've been lying unconscious ever since."

Leaning over to my nightstand, she grabbed a cup of tea.

"Simon made you that special tea after you had your episode. It is cold, but it is here if you need it."

"Thank you."

I sat up a tiny bit and took the tea.

"How long have I been out?" I asked as I took a drink.

Edna took a moment before answering.

"For a few hours now, though it is hard to say. I've only found out an hour ago after coming out of a meeting with Lord Black, and I've been at your side since I found out."

"I..."

I blushed slightly.

"...Thank you. I appreciate you being worried about me."

Edna smiled.

"You're welcome. I can't have my servants fall ill like this. Like I told you when you first took this job, I care very much for all of you."

She stared at me for a second, her eyes going slightly distant as a loving look appeared in them. But before I could make note of it, Edna realized she had dozed off.

"So, are you feeling any better? Do you have any idea what caused you to have that episode?"

I took a moment before replying, as I wanted to make sure I said my words carefully.

"Yes, I do. Though I am a bit tired."

I finished off my tea and gave a large smile.

"I'm sure it was just a minor thing and I'll be just fine. There is nothing to worry about."

"'Nothing to worry about?'"

Edna narrowed her eyes.

"Sebastian, this isn't something to take lightly. Head injuries are very serious and from what happened today, your side effects seem to be getting worse and worse."

She stood up.

"I'll be making a call to London tonight and see when I can get you the earliest doctor's appointment. Whether you like it or not, you need to get your head looked at by a professional doctor. Hopefully he can get some medication or some treatment to help you."

"Edna, I really don't think that is going to help," I replied. "I'll just be a little more careful from now on as my memory returns."

She shook her head.

"Yes, you _will_ need to be more careful, but I still want you to see a doctor. And as your mistress, you will do as I say. This is an order."

She turned her back on me and made her way to the door.

"Edna, please..."

I quickly got up and grabbed her by the arm.

"Edna, I know you are worried about me, but please-"

I cut myself off.

Edna turned to face me, but she no longer looked like Edna.

Her face has grown older and more experienced, her long red hair now short with only a single bang and her brown eyes becoming brighter and sharper. I blinked, my head beginning to ache again.

"...Sebastian?"

I heard Edna's voice, yet it wasn't her voice. It was firmer, more mature, and the voice brought many emotions within me to go wild.

"...Madam..."

Unexpectedly, I pulled her close to me and held her in my arms. I hugged her close, as if I was trying to hold onto something I had lost a long time ago. Something that was dear to me, but foolishly threw away because of some short time frustration. I could not understand why I was feeling this, why I was acting this way, or why I was seeing this woman.

"...Sebastian...?"

Sebastian...why is _she_ calling me that? That isn't my name, why isn't my dear madam saying my name?!

"...Sebastian, it's alright."

I felt a pair of arms go around me, tightening me in an embrace.

"Sebastian, can you hear me? Can you recognize my voice?"

"...Edna..."

I pulled back slightly, looking down at Edna face to face. It took my mind a bit to understand what was happening, that I had my lady so close to me in my arms...

Shit.

"I...I'm so sorry," I apologized, trying to keep my focus on her in case my mind went ballistic again. "I-I have no idea what came over me. I..."

I tried to pull myself away, however Edna kept me close.

"It is alright. You are not yourself."

Her voice was gentle and soft, her expression loving and kind. She pulled me into a hug, tightly putting her arms around me.

"Take it easy the rest of the night, I want you to rest," she whispered into my ear. "Tomorrow we will go back to London together. There, we will get a doctor to look at you and do what we can to help you. Alright?"

I said nothing in reply, my mind going blank. When I said nothing, Edna released me from her hug and gently pulled my bangs back.

"...Get some rest, Sebastian. I will send for Martha to check up on you later. I will see you in the morning."

Giving me one last hug, in which I felt a longing coming from her soul, she quietly left me in my room.

As soon as she was gone, my headache came back in mere seconds, images flashing through my mind. With the little conscious thinking I could do, I took off my glasses, setting them next to the empty tea cup on my nightstand and fell on top of my bed. I clutched onto the blankets, my senses going wild as memories tried desperately to return to me.

Jack the Ripper, murdered whores, a beautiful woman cloaked in bright red... The sound of a sharp blade moving at a high-speed, cutting into the flesh, muscle, and bone of screaming whores, desperate for their lives. And everything colored in red.

Red, red, red...

From the corner of my eye, I could see my red coat hanging off the edge of the bed. Desperate for some kind of comfort, I took a hold of it and brought it close to me, closing my eyes tightly.

_"I cannot kill this child! This child is my-!"_

"Ah, you pitiful being."

I felt a rough hand touch my face, however I did not open my eyes. I was in too much pain to care, was too confused to comprehend what he was saying or who's voice it was. I was too mad to tell what was going on, memory trying to take over me.

Suddenly, I felt something was being brought to my face, a stench that was overpowering the smell of death that filled my nostrils. I tried to open my eyes to see what it was, however, I found it extremely hard to do so. The smell...it was numbing my senses, numbing my mind's madness.

_"I loved you dyed in the deepest crimson of spattered blood... You don't deserve to wear red at all... The curtain has fallen on your cheap performance of 'life...'"_

I faintly heard a soft, deep chuckle, where I eventually fell asleep.

_"Farewell...madam..."_


End file.
